Zaibach United
by PabloCecil
Summary: The Destiny Wars are over, but the story is not... The return of your favorite characters, whether previously dead or otherwise no longer matters when authors interfere. Discover the adventure of Marlon, son of Van, as he claims his heritage, or tries to.
1. Council

A/N: I dedicate this story to the first people to review Van: a poem… Hopefully I will get as many good reviews for this as I did for my poem!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, or its subdivisions though I really wish I did…..  
  
Chapter One: Council  
  
The Great War had been over for a decade on Gaea and Zaibach had fallen into ruin. Zaibach, as a country, had been broken down into three subdivisions: Zail, ruled by FireLord, who keeps his or her identity hidden, just like the other two; Bosh, controlled by Galken; and BlackMage ruled Trimu. These three gathered together in the center of their lands, in their guymelefs… so as to keep hidden their identities… FireLord had a Red-orange Alseides unit; Galken a Forest Green guymelef, and BlackMage had a Pitch Black unit… which, it is said, he made himself.. We start at one of those times…  
  
"We have news from my borders…" The Galken spoke. "Van Fanel has been killed…"  
  
"I already knew of this." FireLord replied. "It is I who snuck past the border, and thus I killed him myself.."  
  
"Really?" The BlackMage questioned.   
  
"Yes. I killed him. Sadly, he has a successor, who is a blood relative." FireLord answered.  
  
"Are you sure? How do you know of this, as we do not?" Galken shouted.  
  
"Yes. Hitomi Kansaki has born him a son on the Mystic Moon, who knows of this place.." FireLord replied. "I know of this because of Doinkork. He left behind machines.. I have used them. And if the machines are right, he will be arriving within the month.."  
  
"It is time." BlackMage spoke. "It is time to unite Zaibach again.."  
  
"I agree. We must join. And as a show of good faith, we should show each other who we really are." Galken said.  
  
"Then it is final. I shall go first." FireLord replied. FireLord exited the Alseides. BlackMage looked down to see a young woman, about 24, with long brown hair, and stood quite tall and proud.   
  
"I shall go next." started BlackMage.  
  
"No, I shall." Galken finished. Galken opened the unit and somersaulted out. Before BlackMage's unit was another girl. This one was older, maybe 30, and looked more fit then FireLord.  
  
"Now, it is my turn." BlackMage said. His guymelef opened and stairs sprang out. He walked down them. "Now we meet, and it seems I am the only male here. I had hoped for all to be same gender, for since it is not so, it will be harder to have similar decisions in political matters."  
  
"Not so." Galken replied. "I am a great leader of people. BlackMage, you are an amazing guymelef leader, as shown with this guymelef here. I would trust you in one, for you can build one yourself, and thus understand its movements more. FireLord, you shall lead the hidden aspects of the government. Assassinations of other leaders. Also you should continue to rule our science division. You already have much experience, as shown by your predictions about this heir to the Dragon. We will rule together."  
  
"Yes. Now Zail, Trimu, and Bosh shall join and be Zaibach. May we crush the Dragon now. For once it caused Zaibach trouble, it will do so again…" FireLord continued.  
"We will crush the Dragon. A united Zaibach is undefeatable. Doinkork was only a failing leader because he was old, and he didn't trust others, and so his plans were unfinished, but we will trust each other. And Zaibach will be what it should be. The great nation of Gaea!! But not just on Gaea, but also on the Mystic Moon shall we conquer. Let us not have such a low ambition!! To Gaea and The Mystic Moon!!"  
  
"TO GAEA AND THE MYSTIC MOON!!!"  
  
A/N: Yeah… If you didn't guess, BlackMage is WhiteMage, Galken, is Ken's Gal, and FireLord is CrimsonFire, the first three reviewers!! Well, I hope you thought that was good first chap! Thanks for reading. Ja. Mate Ne. 


	2. Dilandau Reborn

A/N: Wow… already I'm getting so many reviews!!! Thank you for reviewing my stuff…especially CrimsonFire, WhiteMage, and ShadowKat, the first three to review Chapter One… Anywayz, I think a lot of people are going to like this chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its stuff.  
  
Chapter Two: Dilandau Reborn  
  
Dilandau's mind wandered after his 'death' when Selena took full control of his body. She would burn for this, but first he had to find himself a new body. One where his mind could join with another and combine to form one mind. To do so, all he had to do was find someone who thinks like he would. Hmmmm. Where? Where to look? I know… he thought. Zail. Dilandau concentrated his thought (which was pretty much all that was left of him) and zoomed of towards the country of FireLord. FireLord, he thought, surely the people there are obsessed with fire. He came upon one of the larger towns, one not quite yet a city. Ahhh. Here I will find my new self. Dilandau spied two young boys playing with a bonfire. One of the boys had made a torch from the sticks and was trying, but not succeeding in putting the other one on fire.   
  
"Burn, you!! Burn!!! BURN, JEHYL, BURN!!!" The boy shouted at Jehyl. Dilandau smiled to himself. This is the boy for me… His silver hair matches what mine was, and though he seems only to be 6 years old, he will grow. Dilandau concentrated again and zoomed to the boy. The boy blinked, and when they opened they were the fiery red of Dilandau. Dilandau smiled and took the torch, and threw it at Jehyl. The torch entered the open mouth of the other boy and went out the other side. "Hmmm, too bad, Jehyl. If you had been any good you would have at least closed your mouth. You are weak! Good bye."  
  
"Droodle! It's time for lunch! Put out that fire and you and Jehyl come inside. Don't make me call a second time!" A mother shouted from inside.  
  
"I'm going to have fun with this one." he thought to himself. "Coming!" he replied to 'mother'. Dilandau reborn threw the corpse of Jehyl on the fire. "It is a more fitting funeral then you deserve." He said and left, towards the house. 'Droodle' opened the door and looked around. A common type house, it seems, Dilandau thought. He walked over at sat down at the table.  
  
"Where's Jehyl, Droodle?" The mother questioned.  
  
"He went home for lunch." The reborn one answered.  
  
"Okay. Here. We're having meat sandwiches!" The mother said. Dilandau acted in such a way that he was not noticed until 'father' came home two hours later. "Honey!!" The mother shouted when she saw him.  
  
Sentimental fool, he thought, so a man came home. I will reply though in a normal response. Dilandau/Droodle ran up and hugged 'his dad'.  
  
"Son. What is wrong with your eyes?"  
  
Dilandau clutched his hand, I was hoping it would not be noticed. The fool! Now when I leave this place, I will have to destroy them, to hide evidence of my 'arrival'! If he had just kept quiet, I might, though probably not, have considered letting you live when I leave. Dilandau started his answer. "My eyes are just red because I'm tired."   
  
The father eyes showed that he didn't believe him, but wouldn't really think about it until later. Later will be too late, daddy, Dilandau reasoned to himself. He smiled.  
  
Dilandau acted his part for the rest of the day, a normal 6-year old boy with a slight fire obsession. The fire had died down while he was acting, and so it had not yet been noticed. Around sunset, the parents 'put him to sleep.' "Night, Mommy. Night Daddy." he choked out.  
  
"Night dearest." They said together. Dilandau sat there, waiting. Finally he heard the sounds of sleep. He stayed there for another 15 minutes to make sure, and then slowly rose from the bed. He creaked outside and took branches from the trees, ripping them off. He brought them inside and laid them beneath the parents' bed. He then exited the house once more and brought a lighted stick from the fire inside and set fire to the bed. He smiled and walked out the house. He looked back at his handy work. Yes, the light of fire can just be seen from the bedroom. A grin appeared on his face. Dilandau turned away and walked towards the Home City of Zail, the FireLord's residence. There he would become the general again… A general of new Dragon Slayers…  
  
A/N: YEAH!!! DILANDAU'S BACK!!!! Now I'd like to apologize to those of you (WhiteMage, Ken's Gal, and CrimsonFire) because I didn't really put much of you in this chapter. (Though I do believe, since I've checked my reviews that CrimsonFire/FireLord is probably going to kill me with hugs!) Anywayz, thank you all for reviewing. 


	3. Fanel

A/N: HEY!!! Oh, yeah, I'd like to apologize for 3 previous mistakes. One, The Galken in Chapter One, should just be Galken. Two, Selena should be Celena. Three, the Great War has been over for 6 years, not 10. Oh, and by the way, thank you all for reviewing… I dedicate this story to ShadowKat, CrimsonFire, and WhiteMage, who have been extremely dedicated to reading my story: Zaibach United… This chap is going to start off on 'The Mystic Moon' so you can understand Van's son a bit more…  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne *enter sob here*… or its any of its other things…   
  
Chapter Three: Fanel  
  
The little five year old boy scurried around the floor, pushing a Tonka truck around. He had black hair, and light brown eyes. He looked a lot like his father, Van Fanel. His mother, Hitomi, had told him how she had met him, and when he heard the story, he said, "Some day, mom, I'm going to be a great king, like daddy!" At that time, a tear had drifted down her cheek.  
  
"Please, son, don't say stuff like that… it brings tears to my eyes." Hitomi said. She had sat down then, and her son, Marlon, had climbed up on her lap and hugged her.   
  
Marlon barely remembered that, mainly because like all five year olds, he lived in the moment, and quickly forgot most things. Marlon never forgot the story though, but mainly because he thought it a fairy tale.   
  
On the day he was playing with the Tonka truck, he remembered the story. "Mommy, what ever happened to the pretty necklace?" he asked her, stopping his playing to find out.  
  
"I put it in a truck, under my bed. I don't think it will do any harm letting you see it, but you must give it back. No hiding it, like you did with some of my other things."  
  
"Yes, mommy."  
  
"Ok, then. Let's go upstairs and look at it." Hitomi and Marlon walked up the stair. As Marlon was afraid of heights, his mother held his hands, while walking up. Hitomi opened the door. Marlon rarely was let into her room, ever since the toilet incident. Marlon thought it would be funny to get a pale of toilet water, already used, thanks to Marlon, and put it next to his mother's slippers, while she was sleeping. When she awoke, she put her feet down, to slide them in her slippers, she found instead a slipper on one foot, and an extremely yellow pail of water on the other. Thus, Marlon had rarely seen what was inside the room.   
  
I was extremely tidy, and beside her bed was a drawing of him, except it looked like an older him. "Who's that, mommy?" he asked.  
  
"When I got back from Gaea, I didn't have any pictures of your father, so I tried drawing one. I finally got one that almost looked like him, and that's it." Marlon peered around the door and looked around some more. "Try not to touch anything. Most of the things in here are very important to me." Marlon nodded and walked back over by Hitomi. Hitomi kneeled down by the bed, and pulled a truck out from under it. "Here it is." She opened it. Inside were a brown skirt, a blouse, a beeper, a CD player, and some other trinkets. One was a pink-red pendant.   
  
"What is all this stuff?" He asked.  
  
"It all the stuff that went with me, and back, to and from Gaea."  
  
"Oh." He reached for the pendant, picked it up, and held it up so the light reflected against it. It started to glow. This really looks like it belongs on Gaea, he thought to himself. Suddenly music surrounded them. It seemed to say: ESSSSCCAAAA- FLOOOOOWNEEEEE. A light glowed in the region around themselves. It started to pull the trunk, Marlon, and Hitomi into the sky. The passed through the attic, and then the roof. Marlon slowly saw his house, then his town, and finally the his country seem to shrink until most were no longer visible. Marlon, afraid of heights, closed his eyes. Hitomi grasped his hand, and spoke.  
  
"Marlon, look! We're leaving Earth. We're going to your real home!! Do you know, I've been trying to do that since you were born? The pendant never reacted until you touched it!! This is wonderful. Thank you, Marlon! Maybe we'll get to see your dad." Marlon kept his eyes shut tight, until Hitomi said something again. "We're here." Marlon opened his eyes to see a green field around him. All he could think was, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.  
  
A/N: No, they did not live in Kansas. It's a pun… pointing out that he has watched the Wizard of Oz!!! Well, I hoped you liked it. Ja!! 


	4. Confrontations

A/N: HEY LOYAL READERS AND REVIEWERS!!!! I finally got the info I needed for this chapter!!! I dedicate this chapter to Navi and ShadowKat, who happen to be in this chap, though I don't think Navi is going to like his character…  
  
Disclaimer: Due to insufficient funds, Pablo/Cecil does not own any Escaflowne stuff.  
  
Chapter Four: Confrontation  
  
Dilandau reached the black tower of FireLord. This place doesn't seem to be guarded, FireLord is overconfident. Oh, well makes it easier for me to get in, he thought. He walked up to the front gate.  
  
"Go home little tike… you're mom isn't here." A guard said as soon as he touched the stairs leading up to the door. He seemed to appear out of no where. He certainly didn't come out of the door… Dilandau didn't hear it open. Ha, he thought, it must be an illusion. FireLord had some access to Magic it seems… I thought most of those arts were lost. No, it's from one of Doinkork's machines! Good, Magic is still lost. He continued up the stairs and walked through him. The image turned around and spoke again. "You have passed the first challenge. As a reward, take the sword behind the door." I will, Dilandau thought. Dilandau opened the door, which creaked as its hinges moved. He took the sword. It was light and its hilt was a gleaming red. Dilandau looked ahead. There was a passage with torches on his left, at different lengths from each other, but easy enough to see down. There was also a tunnel to his right, with no torches at all, and extremely gloomy. How can a tower have such passages? He thought. More illusion. But there must be a way on to the next room. He did the obvious thing and looked up. A trapdoor! As a six-year old though, he couldn't reach it. He stood on tip toes and was able to poke it open with the sword. A rope ladder swung down. Dilandau threw the sword up through the trapdoor, and climbed up. He looked around. There was a torch to his left, though not bright, and a table thing on his right, that looked like a half orb. Dilandau picked up his sword.  
  
"Move not, mortal. You stand before the Nexus of Venomous Evil Energy, NOVEE, the spider whose very touch is to die. Behold me!!" The half orb moved, and stood. Eight spindly legs seemed to pop out. The head appeared and the eyes gave off a green light which filled the room and seemed to put out the torch. "Look upon me and flee!" He hissed.   
  
"Dilandau never flees from anything that can burn!!!" He replied calmly. He strode over to the torch, which still slightly was lit, but was actually still lit, with an invisible flame. Dilandau drew his sword, and used it as a javelin and threw it at one of the spider's eyes.   
  
"AHHHHHH!! The pain!!!" The spider shouted. Ooze spilled from the wound and made a whole in the black stone it touched. Dilandau then threw the invisible flamed torch at the wound. It hissed as it touched it. The arachnid burst into flame….  
  
"The third challenge is fulfilled." A voice said out of nowhere. Ahh, so finding the trap door was # 2, Dilandau guessed. Behind the dead body of the spider lays stairs. Dilandau climbed them… Before the door to the next room stood a guard. In the dim light of the torch the person held, Dilandau saw a brown haired female. She was dressed in black, and had piercing eyes. A sword was tied under her left arm, and it too, including a bit of metal that was showing, was the pitch black.   
  
"I am Mistress of the Shadows. An assassin for FireLord. Who are you?"  
  
"I am the Late General of the Deceased Dragon Slayers. I am Lord Dilandau, reborn."  
  
"Then we will allow you to skip the fourth and final Challenge, for FireLord would absolutely love to meet you." The Shadow woman said back to him. She stepped back through the door. Dilandau walked forward to step through it to, with his hand forward. He felt wood. Yes, he thought, it is now in darkness, and a Shadow could pass through it, but as Dilandau in body, I can not. She thought to make a fool of me, and she will pay for it." He felt the door for the door knob. He turned it, pushed it open, and walked in. He saw before him a circular room. The room had all around it torches. There were no other decorations. The only other thing in the room was a large red chair at the far end. It was faced towards him.   
  
"Dilandau… so you are back. I am FireLord, past ruler of Zail, and now partial leader of Zaibach United." The chair turned to face him. Dilandau turned around. Behind him was the Shadow Trickster. "Leave me for a moment, Shadow. Dilandau and I must talk." Dilandau turned around, and listened to what the FireLord had to say.  
  
A/N: Oohh. FireLord meets Dilandau!!! I'm sorry Navi… but maybe later you can get a better part… maybe… hehehe… anywayz, that was Chapter 4... Thanks for Reading!!! 


	5. Galken

A/N: Pablo/Cecil here, with Chapter Five…. I know I've sort of left out what is going on with BlackMage and Galken, so I'm going to go back and tell you what one of them is doing… The other will get a chapter later… Also, I would like you to know that I dedicate this Chapter to Galken, BlackMage, and FireLord. Anywayz, here's Chapter Five.  
  
Disclaimer: Pablo/Cecil doesn't own Escaflowne, or any of its stuff, or any of the stuff's stuff…. Etc, etc…  
  
Chapter Five: Galken  
  
Galken looked out the window, from her castle throne room. It was a nice stone stronghold, surrounded by a moat that was 50 feet deep, 80 feet across, and had some interesting eels in it, that happened to eat only human flesh, and guymelef armor. It had taken some time to find them, and even longer to transport them… Many had died in that venture. "It was worth it." She thought. "I now have a next to impenetrable fortress, manned with both guymelef, numbering over 200, and over 500 ground units, plus something Doinkirk (yes, I meant to spell it that way previously, but for some reason, I didn't, but If it is supposed to be Doinkork, then I'm sorry.) left behind. Something that only she had mastered, and it was a one of a kind. The Skimmer. It couldn't fly, but it could hover, above anything, water, vertical or horizontal surfaces, and it was equipped with something only Doinkirk could have thought of, The Gravity Guymelef. She had used the Gravity Guymelef on each of the meetings, but neither of her cohorts had figured out what it was. She went away from the window, and sat on her throne, remembering…  
  
The Gravity Guymelef was a size-changing, gravity enhancing, or decreasing, weapon diversified guymelef. The day Doinkirk had died, Galken had taken over the castle. While exploring a hidden passage behind a heavy throne, she had taken a left. The left led her to a door… As she opened it, she peeked inside. There before her was, what to us would look like, a plane… It was small, blue, and held a special compartment under it, which, when she pushed a button on it, opened to show The Gravity Guymelef. (The Skimmer sort of looked like that Gungan thing they loaned the Jedi, but larger.) She cautiously entered it.  
  
"Galken." A old voice whispered in her ear as she sat down. "Galken."  
  
She glanced from side to side, looking for the voice. "Yes?"  
  
"Galken… You have found the Gravity Guymelef and The Skimmer. I, Doinkirk, Emperor of Zaibach, hereby bequeath them to you. Take back my country…" The voice ended.   
  
"The Gravity Guymelef? Hmmmm…. I wonder…" Over time, she learned, she learned to fly the Skimmer, and control the GG. She smiled at the memories. "Yes, taking over this castle did have some advantages… Though now I wonder how Doinkirk knew it was me… Maybe there is another machine in this castle! Why didn't I think of that before!?!" She stood up and dismissed her subjects. When they had left, she moved her throne out. She knocked thrice, and stepped back. The door swung open, and had she not moved, it would have hit her, like it did the first time… She rushed in, just as the door closed shut. She traveled on ahead… within 15 she was in the dividing passages. "Why did I never take the Right passage? The machine may be there…" She went right. She walked for another 15 minutes before she came to a door. She opened it.   
  
"Welcome, Galken." The old voice started. "I'm surprised you didn't go right sooner… Welcome to my "Spy Room". From this room, you can see everything in the castle, and a bit outside it… But you can never stay in this room too long… If you stay in here longer then 30 minutes, the door will only open from the outside, until the next person enters… If you look to your right, you will see what I mean. Now use this room wisely, Galken…" The voice stopped, cut off, like it was going to say more, but couldn't. No use thinking about it… Lets see what how this Spy Room works… She spent most of her half hour trying to get it to work, but nothing did… Now wanting to die in this room, she exited, went back to her throne room and thought.  
"I will get that Spy Room working…" She thought. "and then let us see who dares to fight me… I will no longer have just political power, but scientific, and war power. I will conquer BlackMage, arrogant fool that he is, and FireLord, idiotic woman, who can't build a decent capital. It will take time… But I have time…"  
  
A/N: Well, that's Chapter Five for ya. Seems FireLord doesn't have all the scientific power, or BlackMage all the War Power…. Hmmm… well… I hope you enjoyed this… JA!!!! 


	6. BlackMage

A/N: WOW, Two chapters in one day…. At what, 4:15, I have officially put up Chapter 6!!! Which I of course dedicate to BlackMage, Galken, and CrimsonFire… Anywayz, ENJOY!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Escaflowne, nothing…  
  
Chapter Six: BlackMage  
  
War is coming, he thought, and I don't know whether I'll be on the winning side. The question is who is the winning side. The only way to know is to find the secret to magic… and I am close… very close. He paced in his guymelef hanger. He looked at his. "You are weapon, my creation, but are you the right weapon? We shall see, in the war to come."  
  
"Lord BlackMage. You called me?" A messenger boy was kneeled by his right leg.  
  
"Yes. Take down this message… Deliver it to FireLord." This is the note written.  
  
FireLord,  
  
I have a feeling War is coming, and I want your help. I have soldiers, you have weapons. Weapons are useless without soldiers, and vice versa. I do not trust Galken. I know guymelefs, and the guymelef she has been using is not a make I know of. I believe she will betray us. Build up your fortifications, and prepare. If you wish to join me in this secret alliance, inform me.  
  
BlackMage  
  
Within the week, BlackMage had his reply.  
  
BlackMage,  
  
I do not know. I will refuse for now and see. If Galken betrays us, we will join, if she does an act of War, may she burn before our might.  
  
On a separate note, BlackMage, I am having lunch currently, with one of Zaibach's greatest generals, Dilandau Albatou. If you don't mind, please allow him to have a guymelef… I don't keep many, and all of them are not worthy of him. Thank you, my friend.  
  
FireLord.  
  
BlackMage pondered this. Dilandau is back. What does this mean. I do hope Galken does not yet know of this. Because if she is plotting against us, it is best that we still have that hidden ace…   
  
"Servant!"  
  
"Yes, your lordship."  
  
"I want lunch, a good steak, with a healthy portion of bread, butter, and corn. And bring me my pipe. NOW!!" BlackMage told his subject. I need a good smoke, he thought. It will clear my mind, and help me think of the war to come.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"So Dilandau, what do you think of our current guymelef leader?"  
  
"He is wise, wise enough to tell that war is close. I have had similar feelings since I returned to the physical world." he replied.  
  
"We shall wait…and we shall see."  
  
"Let us hope your judgment is good. I must leave. I have things to do." He stood up and left.  
  
A/N: I know that was a short chapter, but sometimes, short chapters are best… I think they capture the attention of your readers… Well, hopefully chapter Seven will be ready by next weekend… JA!!! 


	7. Leaving

A/N: Well, it seems you didn't really have all that long to wait for the next Chapter, Chapter Seven… Yes, I regret to inform CrimsonFire, also known as FireLord, that this chapter is not named after her… But that instead I fully dedicate this Chapter to her…  
  
Disclaimer: Due to September 11, Stocks went down, and Pablo/Cecil lost money, and was unable to buy any Escaflowne stuff, which is still owned by whoever owns Escaflowne.  
  
Chapter Seven: Leaving  
  
"Let us hope your judgment is good. I must leave. I have things to do." He stood up and left.  
  
Dilandau, even though he was only six years old, still moved with amazing speed. He also had astonishing mind powers, so that even though he had not been in the tower very long, he was able to find the guymelef hanger. "This one is close enough, sadly, it has no stealth cloak. That shall have to be fixed…later." He jumped into FireLord's Alseides and took off into the air just as the gate opened. Had he looked back, he would have seen FireLord gazing out the window, seeing him leave.  
  
FireLord sat back down in her chair. "He took my Alseides. He may have trouble. It needs repairs… I usually get it done between meetings… Hopefully, he will not get too seriously injured."  
  
Dilandau had a bit of trouble already. The guymelef refused to fly left, and it was hard enough as a six year old.  
  
FireLord decided not to worry about it and continue her written dialogue with BlackMage.  
  
BlackMage,  
  
I have written to inform you that Dilandau has left on a mission, in a faulty guymelef. As I am low in the amounts of guymelef, I am unable to send any parties out to look for him. I do not think you should inform any of your subjects who they would be looking for… In fact, I think only you should look for him. Bring him back to your tower and fit him with a guymelef that he will be able to use.  
  
Tell him that I am sorry that I did not warn him about my guymelef, but I did not relize that he would be taking a guymelef.   
  
BlackMage, this is a mission of utter importance, and if you are right about Galken, it will be important, important that Dilandau still be a living general…  
  
FireLord.  
  
FireLord, I am leaving right now. Dilandau will be back in my abode within the hour. Let us hope he is alright.  
  
BlackMage.  
  
Dilandau was flying straight, with some difficulty, but had little trouble currently. Suddenly, the energist on his right exploded. Fire was roaring there. Dilandau stopped drooling and pressed the eject on the guymelef. It didn't work. The guymelef started to crash towards a deep dark jungle below him, somewhere in Bosh….  
  
Galken had finally gotten her Spy Room working. She was looking at one of the cameras outside the castle, on the borders of Bosh, near the jungle. She pointed it up. She stared. A red flame was crashing towards it. A guymelef? And not just any guymelef, the Alseides of FireLord. How useful Doinkirk is even in death.  
  
She exited the Spy Room.   
  
"You, sent a group of 50 guymelefs, out to Gtyr Jungle. NOW!!!" She roared as the flames on the guymelef. Soon, FireLord would be hers…  
  
A/N: Well that's Chapter 7... Ja… 


	8. Hitomi and Dilandau Meet

A/N: Well, for once I'm uploading on a Friday!! I have a reason for this. My family is going to visit some relatives in Mississippi this weekend, and they don't have a computer, so I won't be uploading. Well, if you have been wondering about Hitomi and Marlon, here they are again. (I dedicate this chapter to ShadowKat and CrimsonFire.)  
  
Disclaimer: KABOOM!!! NOOO!!! The bank just blew up, and all my money went with it, so now I can't by Escaflowne. I'll get it later. Well I don't own Escaflowne, so that means Van is not mine to kill. (Plus he's already dead by FireLord… Oh well….)  
  
Chapter Eight: Hitomi and Dilandau meet.  
  
Hitomi looked around. "Marlon?" She looked down to see her son had fainted from being so high. "Marlon! Get up!" Marlon gazed up, and saw his mother's face looking up at him. (If it were me, I might have screamed in terror.) "Marlon, this place looks a lot like the place I landed the first time, but not quite. Come on, Marlon. Gather up as much as you can from the trunk and put it in your pockets. I'll do the same. Then we're going to go into that forest, over there. I think we'll find Fanelia that way."   
  
Marlon didn't quite like forests either, almost as much as heights, but he gathered up what he could, gulped, and followed his mother. The dark leaves of the forest made a crackling noise as they were stepped on. Fear seemed to seep out of every twig and branch. "A-a-are you sure this is the right way to go, m- m-mommy?" He pushed out from his throat.  
  
"Almost positive. It just you are afraid. Don't worry, we'll find shelter soon." Hitomi said.  
  
"Spend the n-n-night in the forest? Isn't that dan-dangerous?" He replied.  
  
Hitomi did not reply. Marlon plodded on after her. After trekking some distance, what little light came through the gloomy leaves disappeared as the sun set. "Don't worry, son. Look ahead! See, not far to go. There's a camp fire. We'll spend the night with who ever is there."  
  
"What if it's robbers?" Marlon quivered.  
  
"Don't worry, Marlon. After the defeat of Zaibach, robbers were taken to jail, for the rulers of Austuria and Fanelia, crushed them, and put them away, so travelers, such as us, would be alright. It's probably someone camping out from a nearby town. Don't worry." Hitomi said with utter confidence.  
  
Hitomi and Marlon strode up to the fire. Before them was a wreck of an Alseides unit. It had not yet been destroyed, but what was left was burning.  
  
"Who's there?" A voice sounded from the other side of the guymelef. To Hitomi it sounded childish, but assertive.  
  
"We're relatives of Van Fanel, King of Fanelia. We're looking for him now." Hitomi replied.  
  
A little boy with silver hair, fiery eyes, and cruel smile walked out from behind the remains of the unit. It was Dilandau. "Hitomi, so we meet again. Do you recognize me?"  
  
Hitomi gasped. "No, it can't be! Celena took…"  
  
"Yes, Celena took away who I was. But I am back, Dilandau Reborn." Dilandau pulled out a hidden sword from behind his back. He paused. "Who is the boy? Tell me, or feel my vengeance!"  
  
Marlon giggled and said the most idiotic thing he could have said (He got that from his parents.), "Hello! Wanna play?"  
Dilandau sweat dropped. "NO!!! I am a warrior, and I shall kill you!! Both of you. After you tell me who you are, Boy."   
  
"I'm Marlon. Hitomi's my mom. Cool. Nice game. You are the warrior! And I'm the victim. How about we switch though?" Marlon said. He walked up and tried to take the sword. "Gime! I wanna be the warrior!" As soon as he said this, huge rumbles were heard in the distance. A tree was heard as it crashed.   
  
"A guymelef." Hitomi and Dilandau said simultaneously.  
  
A/N: Oohhh. Who is it? Is it BlackMage, coming from the instructions from FireLord? OR is it the servants of Galken? Or is it someone else? I am so evil sometimes. And you know what is the most evil thing? If its BlackMage or Galken, What will they do to the Fanels? And if it isn't, what will they do to Dilly-sama? I guess I'm really disappointing since the next one won't be out until next weekend, at its earliest… Oh, well… That was Chapter 8!!! 


	9. The Search

A/N: Well, I know why you want to read this chapter… you want to find out who is in that approaching guymelef, don't you… the question is, shall I leave it until the next chapter, or tell you now… You'll see… I dedicate this chapter to CrimsonFire…  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, Hitomi, *insert CrimsonFire's drool here*(Dilandau) *More Drool*, or any other of its characters.  
  
Chapter Nine: The Search  
  
BlackMage entered the area of the burning rubble. "Dilandau! This is BlackMage! I have been sent to retrieve you. You had a faulty guymelef, but, thanks to FireLord, I am here to pick your remains from the fire! So you can get a new, better guymelef! Dilandau? Where are You?" He shouted. BlackMage walked around the heap of the previous Alseides, once or twice. He found nothing. Nothing, except guymelef tracks. Someone else had already come and taken Dilandau away. Trees could be heard off in the distance as they came crashing down. "There." BlackMage looked around once more, and left in the direction of the sounds. They were coming closer.  
  
"Can you see anything, Number One?"  
  
"We are approaching the wreck of the guymelef, Number Two."  
  
"Anything?"  
  
"Checking." The soldiers sent by Galken were looking as well as possible for FireLord. "Nothing. Except for these tracks. One older then the other. Both guymelef."  
  
"Alright. Can you hear anything?"  
  
"Yes, far off, in the distance."  
  
"Stay there. The rest of us will join you, and we'll find whoever got here before us, and take back FireLord. I do not want to fail Galken, and believe me, neither do you."  
  
BlackMage pushed through branches and trees. He was getting closer, but they kept getting ahead, just as he was getting close. Who could it be? BlackMage thought. And how did they get here before me. I left before anyone could have; I was the first to know he was to crash, before it even happened. Could someone have rigged it to fall? Mistress of the Shadows! She must be the one! She already had a grudge against him. And she did know it was going to fall, so she could have left before the note reached me, and gone out first. It is a possibility. It will be harder to find Dilandau if it is. Her guymelef is at least as dark as mine.  
  
"Stealth Cloaks!" Number Two ordered. "Except you Four and Six. You fly up and scout ahead. If you meet resistance you can handle, handle it!"  
  
The group split up. Four and Six flew up in the air, pushing past the brush. They looked deep into the forest, but little could be seen through the murk of the leaves.   
  
"There!" Number Four shouted to Number Six. "Look. Two shapes, one as black as the night we fly through, both pushing through the trees. It's hard to see the other one."  
  
"But there are at least two guymelefs. We may not be able to handle both. Come on, let's take out the black one."  
  
Numbers Four and Six swooped down like eagles upon their prey…  
A/N: I am so cruel. You still don't know who it is!!! Hehehehehehe. Maybe I can try and keep you hanging for another chapter!!! I love it!! Not telling you who it is!! Hehehe…I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed leaving you with little information!!! Hehehe… 


	10. BlackMage's Guymelef

A/N: Who is the one who carried off Dilandau & Co.??? That's the reason you're probably reading this chapter, isn't it? I dedicate this chapter to Mr. Chez… you never know, Mr Chez may be the guymelef user… Well… I don't know if I want to reveal that just yet… but maybe I will… Hmmm… Find out in this chapter…  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. (Kinda disappointed, huh… usually, I write something better…)  
  
Chapter Ten: BlackMage's Guymelef  
  
BlackMage looked up as he heard the air move with the rush of speed as the approaching guymelefs advanced towards him. "Not now… I'm so close…"  
  
"Stop in the name of Zaibach!" Number Four shouted as he landed.  
  
"Stay out of my way, soldier… you don't know what you're getting into."  
  
The second guymelef landed. "Yes, we do… we're going to battle at two to one odds. And the odds are for us. As Doinkirk would say: Fate controls your end."  
  
"Your end. I do not have time for this. Good bye." BlackMage pressed a button on the inside of his unit. Number Four and Six heard the rumbles of the doom which approached. "Don't say I didn't warn you." As he said it, the units of Galken disappeared. "Fate controls your end."  
  
Galken gaped as she saw her units disappear into thin air. They did not reappear. "They were destroyed, BlackMage… Is this an act of war? War it is… and you started it." She walked out. "You, send all our remaining units to crush Trimu. BlackMage has started the battle." She smiled and walked away.  
  
The unit had its arms full, carrying Hitomi, Marlon, and Dilandau. It crashed through the trees. It must get to safety.  
  
"Delay. It could not be avoided." BlackMage followed the trail of the fallen trees. Galken will pay if this was her doing.   
  
The guymelef escaped out of the trees… and escaped BlackMage with it…  
  
"Let me go!! I am a general of Zaibach!! This is undignified!!"  
  
"Where are you taking us, Mr. Tin Man??" Marlon asked.  
  
"I AM A GENERAL!!! LET ME GO!!!" Dilandau screamed.  
  
"Be quiet. We are being followed."  
  
They ran into another group of trees.  
  
Dilandau grinned and stopped struggling. He had a plan. His struggling had made the grasp of the guymelef not quite so tight. If he could do it right, he could slip right out.  
  
"Stop in the name of Zaibach!"  
  
In front of the single guymelef were rows upon rows of green guymelefs. "We are the servants of the great lord, Galken! Give up FireLord, and you may keep the other passengers you hold."  
  
No voice returned to their terms. The trees that could be heard behind them had stopped… any guymelefs behind them had reached the plain…  
  
"GIVE UP FIRELORD!!"  
  
Trees could be heard crashing again.  
  
The units surrounding the unit in charge could hear the approaching noise. They couldn't determine how many guymelefs were approaching.  
  
The falling of trees stopped.  
  
Many of the units were considering returning to Galken's fortress, even with the punishment they would receive…   
  
The ground started to rumble.  
  
"Doom approaches." A voice carried on the wind brought them these noises. BlackMage had arrived.  
  
A/N: Yeah, yeah, yeah… You know what's about to happen… but you still want to read the next chapter, don't you? Well… I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! 


	11. Revealed

A/N: Wow, 2 Chapters in One day!!! K, well, I'm dedicating this chapter to ElvenChild, for all her reviews that she gave, and CrimsonFire, for always reviewing, and making them extremely long… Anywayz, here is Chapter Eleven!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm telling you, never invest in any company that sells money… It never works out, and then ( I accidentally invested in money…) because of that, I didn't have enough money to buy Escaflowne… So I don't own it…  
  
Chapter Eleven: Revealed…  
  
"Doom approaches." A voice carried on the wind brought them these noises. BlackMage had arrived.  
  
As soon as the voice reached the ears of some of them, about ten troops flew up in to the air. They didn't want to die… They disappeared. All those that had started their ascent, had vanished. The leader tried to hold order, but the troops ran off, in different directions, some through the trees, and some through the plains. Only two were left when all others had left… The leader, and the burdened one. (He/She is burdened because of having to hold Hitomi, Marlon, and Dilandau…)  
  
A scream was heard through the trees… BlackMage had struck again.  
  
"WHO IS THAT?!?!" The leader shrieked at the other guymelef. "Is he a friend of yours? ANSWER ME!!"  
  
A voice was heard from inside the guymelef. "He is no friend of mine. But he isn't a friend of yours either." He paused. "It may be a good idea for you to run."  
  
"Not unless you give me FireLord. My Lord, Galken, will have me tortured for this, losing all those troops, but it may not have to be, if you give me FireLord."  
  
"I do not have the one called FireLord. You have wasted your time."  
  
BlackMage's guymelef appeared behind the boss guymelef. "Hello, and goodbye." The ground started to rumble again.   
  
"Please, no!! Please!! Don't!"  
  
"Why? You have nothing I want. And you'll get in the way later. Better just to destroy you now." The rumbling noise grew louder.  
  
"NOOOO!!!"  
  
The leader disappeared.  
  
Galken stared at the screens in horror. FireLord not have crashed was bad enough, but BlackMage had some weapon, a weapon far greater then gravity control. He would just obliterate her and the guymelef, and be free of the oppression of controlled gravity. She was in big trouble…  
  
"I am BlackMage, Lord of Trimu. I am acting on instructions from FireLord. Give me the ones you hold. I can take them from you, if I wanted, but I am offering you the chance to spare your life."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Those buffoons had nothing I wanted. You do, those that you hold. I am bargaining. Your life, for them."  
  
The guymelef took Dilandau, Hitomi, and Marlon in the tallest tree near him, so they would not escape. "I am a Knight of Austuria, and it is my duty that they be taken back to their true homes. I AM ALAN SCHEZAR !!!" He drew his sword.  
  
A/N: Well, now you know… I know I'm going into far too much detail with BlackMage right now… but I'm doing something… The first chapter was for all three.. The next 2 (the one after that was for Galken.) and the other 3 chaps, after that one for Galken, are for FireLord… The second five are for BlackMage, and those five after that are for Galken… I may repeat this cycle… anywayz… I really hoped you enjoyed these chapters… JA!!! 


	12. Battle

A/N: Well this is Chapter 13... I dedicate this chapter to CrimsonFire, alias FireLord… for all the reviews she has given me… and to Chichirui, for all the reviews yet to come…  
  
Disclaimer: NO!!! Batman has returned the deed I stole from the owners of Escaflowne… HOW DARE HE STEAL SOMETHING I STOLE!!! AND GIVE IT BACK TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS!!!  
  
Chapter Twelve: Battle  
  
"I AM ALLEN SCHEZAR!!!"  
  
BlackMage drew his sword. "You do not stand a chance, Allen…" BlackMage charged, using his sword in a side slash maneuver. Allen, distracted by the words BlackMage had said, barely blocked in time. The swords threw off sparks of gleaming red, as the swords clashed. Allen knew he had to strike the offensive… BlackMage might win otherwise… BlackMage predicted it… He attacked before Allen could think of his attack.  
  
"Look, Allen… Just give me the prisoners. One of them, I must have. The others… Well, I only want to know why you want them. If I have no use for them. You can have them."  
  
"NEVER!!" Allen said. He pulled back. He was about to thrust, when something swooped out of the trees.   
  
Marlon spread out his wings, and jumped. He was afraid of heights, and so didn't like being held by the Tin Man, and then the Tin Man put him high up in a tree. Marlon was going to get away from the evil Tin Man, even if it meant flying.  
  
"MARLON, NO!!!"  
  
"So that's why you wanted him, Allen." BlackMage smiled from within the guymelef. "Marlon! Come here! I will get you out of here!!" He shouted at him"  
  
Marlon landed in a smaller tree. "You promise?" Marlon knew that all promises must be kept. Just then, Allen charged.  
  
BlackMage pushed another button. Allen's guymelef shut down. "I promise, Marlon."  
  
"MARLON!!!" Hitomi yelled. She had to save her son! He was a prince of Fanelia!  
  
Marlon dived down and into BlackMage's guymelef arm. Dilandau jumped from the tree, into the other waiting hand. BlackMage jumped up, and flew away, leaving Hitomi crying in the tree.  
  
"We will land very soon, Lord Marlon, and Lord Dilandau. Just close your eyes, we will not be up here long." BlackMage said, comforting the boy. A prince of Fanelia! If he could groom him well, it would not be hard to conquer the lands of Fanelia… Especially with the rightful king leading the army. Dilandau could easily help him train the boy in the ways of a guymelef. The dragon would soon be crushed.  
  
Once BlackMage had left the immediate vicinity, Allen's unit was able to move. "Hitomi." He groaned. He stood up. He picked her up. "Come we must hurry to Fanelia! We will save him later…"  
  
"But he's my son!"  
  
"Your son?" Allen questioned.  
  
BlackMage landed near the tower of FireLord. "Dilandau, inform FireLord or this new advancement. I will take Lord Marlon to my castle." He looked down at the boy. "Wake, young prince. Let us walk to your new home…"  
  
A/N: I am so cruel… Well… that's all the chapters for this weekend… Nothing for President's day… Well… I hope you enjoyed it!!! JA!! 


	13. FireLord

A/N: I finally got around to naming a chapter FireLord! Aren't you all proud of me??? Well, I dedicate this chapter to the one I named it after, CrimsonFire… ENJOY!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Can you believe someone bought Escaflowne before I did??? I was at an auction, and this guy, the previous owner, bid on his own thing!! And he beat me!!! Well, that's why I Don't Own Escaflowne.  
  
Chapter Thirteen: FireLord.  
  
FireLord had not been idle. She now knew BlackMage had been right, Galken would start a war. She sent a dispatch to BlackMage's steward, to tell him instructions to follow while his lord was away.  
  
Steward,  
  
Your Lord, BlackMage, warned me of the dangers of trusting   
Galken. Upon his advice, I am currently gathering troops from  
among the cities. I will have an army soon. I fear though, that  
Galken will attack soon. And if I am right, she will attack the  
castle of Trimu, where you currently are. I am suggesting that  
You prepare the troops you have for an attack.  
  
- FireLord, Ruler of Zail  
  
Once the messenger returned, FireLord went out into her lands. First to the lands where Dilandau had risen. The fire he had made, had spread and burnt down a large segment of the South Wall. Many homes had also been destroyed. And of course, even though the townsmen loved fire, they disliked losing their homes and defenses. FireLord came to boost morale.  
  
"My people," She started. "I know that you feel a great loss, the loss of your home, your town, your defenses, but most of all, the loss of memories. But I have a memory. A memory of six great warriors, led by the greatest of all generals. This general is Dilandau Albatou. I come bearing a message. A message of hope, a message from the past. Here is that message." She paused. "DILANDAU IS REBORN!!!"  
  
The cheers from the crowds were deafening.   
  
"People, I know your town was burnt to a crisp, but there was a reason, Dilandau had come and taken one of your own citizens to be his host… The host's parents did not honor the great general, and the great general is not known for kindness. But remember, my people, that you are still you!!! Your memories may be lost, but they can be found. Rejoice!! Our Lord Dilandau has come!!"  
  
The audience applauded, and had not Mistress of the Shadows whisked her away through her namesake (Shadows..)… The crowd may have rioted in the chance to grasp the hand of their leader, FireLord.  
  
FireLord did rallies in each of the towns surrounding her tower, recruiting troops. At the end of the day, she was quite tired, and need to rest. It was at this time, Mistress of the Shadows passed through her door.  
  
"FireLord, there is someone here to see you."  
  
FireLord grumbled. She did not want to be disturbed.  
  
"But, FireLord, It is the six year old. The one you call Dilandau Albatou."  
  
FireLord rose from her bed. "Leave me for a moment, Shadow, I must make a quick preparation for Lord Dilandau's coming."  
  
"Yes, FireLord."  
  
FireLord waved her hand in a go away manner, and started thinking. Lord Dilandau survived the crash. But how did he get here so quickly?? She dismissed her thought, and continued to prepare for her guest. She exited her room, and walked to her throne room…  
  
A/N: Yeah, yeah… I know I said no more chapters… none for President's Day, but I changed my mind… I thought that CrimsonFire should receive that chapter in her honor, so I wrote one, and that's what you read… Did you enjoy it??? Hope so!! JA!!! 


	14. Board

A/N: Yeah, I know… The last chapter was just information on what FireLord was doing… I had to explain for this chapter… Anywayz, I dedicate this chapter to Navi, ShadowKat, and FireLord… Thanks ShadowKat for giving me all those reviews!!! K, well here's the next chapter…  
  
Disclaimer: Sometimes, it is wise never to invite certain generals over to my house… because this particular general happened to burn my deed to Escaflowne, and guess what??? Now the previous owners claim ownership of it!!! Oh, well… I'll just try again for a multimillion dollar deal!!!  
  
Chapter Fourteen: Board  
  
She exited her room, and walked to her throne room… She sat down on the blood red throne. Just as she had gotten comfortable, Shadow Mistress entered.  
  
"He is ready to enter, FireLord."  
  
"Show him in."  
  
Dilandau stalked into the chamber. "I demand that you dismiss that servant, NOW!!! Or, If you like, I can arrange for her burning at the stake!!!"  
  
"What has she done?" She asked, a slight grin showing on her face. She leaned forward in her chair.  
  
"That Mistress of the Shadows used her power over the shadows to trick me into thinking I was going up to your room, when really I was going down to the Guymelef Hanger!!! By the time I had figured it out, she had disappeared!! Obviously here!! I retraced my steps, and finally made it back to the entrance. I then followed the trail I first used to get here. I want her dismissed at once!" Dilandau almost screamed at her.  
  
"Shadow, is this true?" FireLord said, her face turning to her assassin.   
  
"Indeed it is, FireLord, though a bit embellished." Shadow Mistress replied.  
  
"We will talk of this later, Shadow. You are dismissed for now." She told her. Shadow left the room. FireLord turned back to Dilandau. "Dilandau, I am sorry for that interruption. I will take the blame for this. My servant decided to do this to give me some time for your arrival. NOVEE!! Bring it in."  
  
The door creaked open, and the giant spider entered carrying a huge table with a box upon it inside. NOVEE laid it down in front of FireLord's chair.  
  
"FireLord." NOVEE hissed out. It's head bowed and NOVEE crawled out backwards through the door.  
  
"Dilandau, I believe you know my servant, NOVEE. Yes, you did kill him when you first came, but I used the facilities Doinkirk left behind to bring him back." FireLord told the general. Dilandau just looked at the door the spider had exited, and shrugged.  
  
"Why the table?" Was the question he asked.  
  
FireLord smiled and opened the box. She pulled out some figurines. "Dilandau, this is a map of the lands of Zail. These figurines represent my soldiers. This spider is NOVEE. This hooded black figure is my assassin, Shadow Mistress. These two guymelef figurines, in red, are representations of my units, and these smaller red figurines of men, are my land troops. This Red Box here, at my tower, is a symbol of Doinkirk's machines… Now see these ones in green. Those 5 green guymelef on the edge of Zail are illustrations of the troops of Galken. As you can see, Dilandau, if Galken were to strike right now, the only things that stop her from crushing me are Shadow and NOVEE. Plus the ace up my sleeve, you. Dilandau Albatou, I would like you to take all of these that you need and destroy Galken. Hopefully, the attack BlackMage has spurred upon his own land, Trimu, will give us the advantage."  
  
Dilandau looked at the board and grinned.  
  
A/N: Yeah, that's Chapter Fourteen… NOVEE is back!!! I hope you're all glad about that… Yeah, I'm sorry Navi, that you are going to continue to be the spider… but at least you're a character, right? I trust that you all enjoyed this chapter… JA!!!  
  
Note: Most signed in authors will sooner or later get to be a character if they review each chapter individually. Those who do not, will not be come characters. Furthermore, any author who does not review each chapter individually, no longer has a chapter dedicated to them. This is why I dedicate chapters to two people, that way if one decides to forget about reviewing each chapter, there is still someone to have the chapter dedicated to.   
  
Further Note: Mr Chezzysnickers forgot to review each chapter. Therefore the previous chapter is no longer dedicated to her, until she has reviewed the chapters she missed. 


	15. Lord Marlon

A/N: Ok, well I hope all of you read the note in the last chapter, after the last A/N. Anywayz, I dedicate this chapter to Chichirui and the one and only FireLord, CrimsonFire…  
  
Disclaimer: Thieving is not the way to go. I mean, when the catch you with the deed to Escaflowne in your hands, and you're sort of surrounded by police men, thieving is shown to be a mistake. But since certain thieves are still allowed certain computers, certain author thieves may still post. (If you still haven't figured out who the thief, you are a disappointment to the name of reviewer.)  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Lord Marlon  
  
BlackMage strode through the towns, one hand held low, in a chair seat position. It was just low enough for Marlon not to puke every time he looked down. BlackMage smiled with in his unit. This was so easy, he thought.  
  
"Where are we going?" Marlon asked.  
  
"We are going to my castle, in Trimu. There you will get the treatment you always should have had, the treatment of a prince." BlackMage replied. "You do know you're a prince of Fanelia, don't you, Lord Marlon?"  
  
"Yes, mom told me."  
  
They passed out of the borders of Zail, and continued on. Marlon looked, trying to make sure he could remember the geography they had gone through.  
  
"There it is." BlackMage used his other hand to point off into the distance. A black structure, that seemed to destroy the light of the sun that came to it, was seen glowing with what seemed an evil radiance, but Marlon could only see a castle, with large rooms, and servants to do his every whim. BlackMage saw the evil radiance, but he mainly saw his throne room, the seat of his power. "I think you will enjoy it there, Lord Marlon, but I must warn you not to show your wings in any other presence, except my own, and then only when I tell you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Here, those with wings almost caused the destruction of Gaea. They were the Draconians. Evil is the thought that would come to the minds of many if they saw them. Fanelians would not mind them so much, but even then, they can not be trusted. It is safest just to keep them hidden. Come, look kingly. The people are watching our arrival."  
  
BlackMage and Marlon came to the castle gates. "You may not pass, not without a pass." The gateman said.  
  
"I am ruler of this land!! I need no pass!"  
  
"You may not pass, not without…" The gateman started.  
  
BlackMage pushed the button. The ground rumbled slightly, and the gateman vanished. "Any other objections?" he asked.  
  
They let them through. BlackMage exited the guymelef unit. "Welcome to the Guymelef Hanger of my castle, Lord Marlon. From here, we will go to the throne room, and consult my steward, the one who runs my lands when I am away. I would like to know why I need a pass to enter my own castle." Marlon followed BlackMage.   
  
"My Lord, BlackMage, I am glad you have returned." A man, wearing a gray cloak, and mostly bald, said.  
  
"Steward, you are dismissed, pending the reinstating of a new steward, who will obey orders given only to me. You there! Put the Steward on the list of Executions this week. And you, bring in Chiruichi, she is to be my new steward!" BlackMage paused. "And finally, all must also bow to the prince, Marlon. Should any disregard his royalty, they will find themselves joining the list of Executions with the previous Steward. That is all."  
  
Marlon smiled as he saw the people bow to him, as he was shown to his room.  
  
A/N: That was a nice chapter wasn't it? That's right folks! Chichirui is to become a character!!! Chiruichi!! K, well, thanks for reading. JA! 


	16. Traitor

A/N: Well, guess what everybody??? Mr. Chezzysnickers has reviewed all the chapters!!! Guess that means those chapters are rededicated to her!!! And, as an apology, I also dedicate this chapter to her, and her cousin, Chiruichi. N E Wayz, on with the chap…   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, due to the fact that problems keep coming up, and I lose ownership within five minutes of me achieving it, and sometimes, not even that long!!!   
  
Chapter 16: Traitor   
  
Fool, she thought, making the biggest mistake by making me his steward. I am a spy, you fool. But you will not die yet. First I must know why you brought the boy. There is a secret to that child. I will find out, Chiruichi thought to herself…  
  
Lord Marlon was delighted with his room, or should I say rooms. In fact, he was given the entire Upper North Wing!!! 2 rooms were immediately stocked with all sorts of toys. 2 more were for an armory and a battle room. A servant was near at all times to keep him unharmed, but still Lord Marlon could not be unhappy with his new status. He climbed up on a rocking horse, one of 10.  
  
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, the door sounded. "Come in." The current servant replied.  
  
The door swung open. "You may leave, now." She said. The servant paused, not sure if he should obey, but did. He left. "Marlon…" She began.  
  
"Shouldn't you bow?" Marlon interrupted." "And shouldn't I be called Lord, too?"  
  
Chiruichi clenched her teeth. "I am sorry, My Lord Marlon." She pushed out through her throat.   
  
I don't like you as much as BlackMage, he thought to himself. "K, well, you can leave now." He waved his hand like BlackMage had done earlier. Chiruichi almost ran up and choked him. But she left. Marlon was alone…  
  
Chiruichi went to the castle gatehouse. That brat! He must be disposed of. BlackMage probably just picked him up from some local peasant's home, to train as his successor!! How dare he! She clenched her hand into a fist. Lord Marlon indeed. He would pay for that, and the price was high.  
  
Hitomi started crying. "My son." She whimpered over and over. "My poor son…" Alan was confused. Which one was the son? The silver haired one? Or the one who flew? Probably the one who flew. Hitomi always had been a bit secretive about what she and Van did in their spare time. He didn't really think they always doused.  
  
"Hitomi, I know you grieve, but upon my honor as a Knight of Austuria, we will get him back." He vowed. He got back in his guymelef, and picked her up. "To Fanelia. The people need you."  
  
"Why?" She asked.  
  
"They need a ruler." He answered.  
  
"But they have Van."  
  
Allen kept silent. The loss of her son was bad enough, but the passing away of Van may make her suicidal. (Not that we don't want that!)  
"What?" She demanded. She blinked in thought (New isn't it?). "Van is dead, isn't he?" The question did not need answering for Hitomi to start crying again…  
  
BlackMage entered the room Marlon was currently in. "My Lord, Marlon. I was wondering if I may have the pleasure in instructing you in the way of guymelefs. Not that you need it. You're probably a natural." BlackMage grinned. A little more sucking up, and BlackMage would not just control the throne of Fanelia, but also the knowledge of Journey to and from the Mystic Moon…  
  
A/N: Now wasn't that just a great chapter??? Leaves you hanging, doesn't it? Well, since I'm not posting again until Galken reviews each chap, I hope you can last! (Well I had to do some punishment! I can't just kill off a major character like that *Snap*.) Hopefully it won't take that long for her to review… anywayz, JA!!! 


	17. Chesyul

A/N: Chiruichi, the traitor… what irony… BlackMage's most trusted advisor is a spy… how delicious… I can't wait to see how this turns out… Can you? N E Wayz, I dedicate this chapter to one of our main characters, FireLord, and to Mr. Chezzy Snickers…  
  
Chapter 17:Chesyul.  
  
Rings reflected various colors as the rays of sunlight hit the jewels that rested on their tops. Chesyul was a Baroness, rich with gems, diamonds, and various types of gold, ranging from the coins of Austuria, to the doubloons of Zaibach. Her barony rested on the outer edges of Fanelia, though she was no Fanelia herself, but a Zaibach Lady, who had decided to spend her life spying for FireLord, watching the movements of Fanelia. In fact, it was she who fed and hid FireLord, while the Fanelians were searching for the killer of their king. She was very pleased with herself after that, and was glad that the scum of a Draconian was dead, and rotting in his worm infested grave, six feet under where her feet stomped every day. In fact, she had chosen this very chateau for it distance from the cemetery of Fanelian Kings, and other royalty, just so she could do so, every day, on her morning stroll. She smiled at the thought.  
  
Chiruichi was very unhappy. Servants took special precautions staying away from her that morning. That brat… I can't even kill him, him being under the protection and guardianship of that loser spawn of a ruler, BlackMage. How dare he bring that mutt to this castle! Oh, yes, they would both pay, and after she was done… She smiled at the very thought.  
  
"Wow…" Marlon whispered as he looked up at the guymelefs he was being shown.  
  
"And this one, this one is mine. I call it Myrken. The Black Stone, in the ancient tongue of Zaibach. Remember it, my lord. The one beside is yours. Though later you shall get a better one."  
  
The one he pointed to was half the height of Myrken, but loomed large in the eyes of Marlon. "Wow." He said again."  
  
"Wow, indeed." BlackMage said. "Come. Let me teach you the ropes. You have nothing to fear, my lord. BlackMage, your humble servant, is here to help." Gosh, this child is easier to twine around my finger then most of my followers. "First, let me tell you about the guymelefs. The power source is the energist…"  
  
"Yeah, I know. Mom told me." Marlon interrupted. Marlon frowned for a moment. "When can I see her again, BlackMage?"   
  
"I will send a team, to go and retrieve her. I just wanted to wait. I think it would make her proud if you could show her around the castle. Think about it." BlackMage replied.  
  
"Maybe we should wait until I do know my way around." Marlon said after a while.  
  
BlackMage chuckled.  
  
My units… How dare he destroy my units! I must contact Chiruichi, my loyal spy and assassin. She will kill that fool. No one messes with the Lady Galken, and gets away with it. And once that one is out of my way, the fire of Firelord's life would be snuffed out, and put out forever. The flames of her life never to burn again.  
  
Chesyul rode her horse, a brown mare, into the capital of Fanelia, listening for gossip. She stopped in front of two old ladies.  
  
"Did you hear? Fanelia gathering up all guymelefs, and those who can use em."  
  
"Yes, I heard. My own grandson, Anteh, has been taken to attack Zaibach. They're so sure it's them that's killed our king."  
  
Chesyul listened further, but the voices had stopped. She turned her horse, and galloped off. FireLord must be informed, else all may be lost.  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to post… not until Galken reviewed anyway… but I'm giving her one last chance… If she does not review each chapter by next weekend, the character: Galken is forfeit, as well as all chapters that have been dedicated to her. Yes, by the way. Chesyul is Chezzy… It was just so hard to think of a name to go with Chezzy… but I finally got one… I hope she enjoys her character more then Navi does to NOVEE… Well, I hope you can wait another weekend for the next chapter… JA!!! 


	18. Hatching

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't post any more this weekend, but when I saw how many chapters CrimsonFire had, well, I just had to put up some of my own… Well, well, well… many of my reviewers seem to have become characters… and I congratulate every single one of them, because it shows that they have reviewed every single chapter… though some have had to face punishments before they would do as such… And think it all started out with a counsel between three characters, three reviewers… BlackMage, Galken, and of course, FireLord…This chapter is dedicated solely to NOVEE… due to the fact it is NOVEE's birth I am about to tell about…  
  
Disclaimers: *Hiccup*… Wow, that was the *Hiccup* greatest cup a *Hiccup* I ever had. Oh, Darn. *Hiccup* I spilt my beer on these *Hiccup* papers. Oh, no!!! These are my forged deeds to Escaflowne… I mean real deeds.. Not forged...Real! *Hiccup* Uhhh… This isn't a good day…  
  
Chapter 18: Hatching…  
  
Doinkirk had labored quite hard with his latest machine, a contraption which would breed untold types of monsters. Each monster would be different. There was a risk. Should this mechanism be turned on, his Fate Alteration Machine would have to be shut down, at least for a time. Doinkirk decided to risk it.  
  
"SWITCH ONE!!!" He yelled.  
  
"Switch One." The servant replied.  
  
"SWITCH THREE!!!" Doinkirk shouted.  
  
"Switch three." The servant answered.   
  
"SHUT DOWN FATE ALTERATION MACHINE!!!" Doinkirk bellowed.  
  
"It is done!" The servant spoke back.  
  
The Monster Maker moaned with an array of sounds as it stirred to life. It gurgled as liquids from the swamps of Zaibach were drained to fuel and be used as materials for the eggs, eggs which would hatch into Fanelia's worst horrors.  
  
"YES!" Doinkirk smiled in triumph. Three eggs survived the procedure, each of a different hue. One was a vile green, another a black of shadows, and a third, a white which gleamed with silver.  
  
"Turn the Monster Maker off. Turn on the Fate Alteration Machine again." Doinkirk turned and looked into his machine. "What is this?" Doinkirk stared it. He moved his eyes, searching. "I saw something. I can no longer see it… There it is again!" A white glaze had sped across the screen. "What is this!!! A dragon? Nothing to be bothered with…" Doinkirk smirked. Had he known that this was the dragon which would loom in his future for many years, he would have regretted the words that he had said. It was his first sighting of the dragon. It would never have occurred had he not turned off the FAM.  
  
You see, FAM made the future the way Doinkirk wished to see it. When he turned it off, the dragon was able to flee its lair, and fly in the sky. In a way, Doinkirk caused the death of the Dragon Slayers, for the rising of the dragon, was also the birth of Van Fanel…  
  
As the months passed, and the eggs hardened, Doinkirk forgot the eggs, focusing on the movements of the dragon.  
  
After 7 months, the first egg hatched. It was the Silver white. When the egg fell away, what was left was a silvery mist, which looked like a ghost. This 'ghost' was implanted into a girl, years later, and he became Dilandau… And true to the legend, he was a horror unto Fanelia…  
  
The second egg hatched hours after the first. Twas the jet black one which cracked asunder. Sitting in its place was a babe, a girl who seemed to rap the shadows around her as a cloak, a Mistress of Shadows, and the tricks she has played, have cast untold fears into the hearts of Fanelians everywhere.  
  
And finally, there was the last venomous egg, from which hatched the horrid spider, whose poisonous bite fractured the shell, and whose toxins have been used on many blades, and thus killing the horrid people of Fanelia…  
  
A/N: Now THAT was interesting… In a weird way, NOVEE, Mistress of Shadows, and Dilandau are like brothers and sisters… Interesting? I think so… I thought the part where we said that Dilandau was a horror unto Fanelia was pretty cool… but I'm sure that certain readers will disagree with how I told this story about their births… but this just part of the story… And I needed to tell it that way for a possible special purpose later on… such as a way to cause the Dragon Slayer's rebirth, maybe? We'll see… We'll see… 


	19. Plan

A/N: Well, now you know… know how NOVEE, Mistress of the Shadows, and Dilandau were born… Well, N E Wayz… I think its time for us to get back to some of our best buddies, FireLord, and Dilandau… and to those two are whom I'm dedicating the chapter to!!! K… Here's chapter 19!!!  
  
Disclaimer: "Okay, the winning numbers are 14, 18, 38, 50, 51, and the Big Game Number is… 37!!!" Pablo/Cecil is staring at the TV ripping up Lotto Ticket… Darn… Darn, Darn, Darn… So close… I got what, 4 numbers… If I had gotten every single number, I would have had enough to buy Escaflowne!!! Oh, CRAP!!! I ripped up a winning lotto ticket with 4 numbers… and if you press the shift button and then 4, you get $… and that's what I missed out on… I could have used that money… starts ripping up all of the other lotto tickets he has… OH NO!!! THAT WAS A WINNER!!! WITH ALL SIX NUMBERS!!! NO!!!! Gosh… This is soooo unfair… Fine… just go read the next chapter…  
  
Chapter 19: Plan  
  
Dilandau looked at the board and grinned.  
  
He moved the Mistress of the Shadows figure… onto the edge of Bosh. FireLord looked, questioning what it meant.  
  
"Allow me to explain. Mistress of the Shadows leaves your castle…"  
  
"But I need her here!"  
  
"Leaves your castle," He continued, ignoring her interruption. "And goes to Galken, floating in the shadows… keeping hidden. With her, she takes a vial of the venom of NOVEE's blood. Just as the waiter brings Galken her pea soup, her favorite breakfast for unknown reasons, Shadow drops the venom into it. She will die…. And hopefully that horrible trickster will to!! SHE WILL BURN! BURN! BURN!!!!" Dilandau started jumping up and down… "FIRE!!! BURNING!! FIRE!!!!" From behind his back he pulled out a miniature flame figurine and put in on the castle. "BURN CASTLE BURN!!!" HAHAHAHA!!!!"  
  
FireLord suppressed the urge to help him. "Dilandau…"  
  
Dilandau slowed in his jumping, but did not quite stop. "WHAT?!!"  
  
"What was your mission that you wanted to do?"  
  
"WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU!!!"  
  
"I may be able to aid you… In one way at least. For one, I can make sure you don't accidentally pick a faulty guymelef… By the way, the repair man was killed for not doing his job…"  
  
"How?"  
  
FireLord bit her lip and whispered, "Burning at the stake."  
  
"BURN!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!! DIE VAN DIE!!!! BURN!!! MOOOOEEEERRROOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"  
  
"DILANDAU!!! Compose yourself!!!"  
  
"Why?" Dilandau responded.  
  
"Or you will find yourself in a large tub, with a rubber ducky… and you will be deprived of your flamethrower."  
  
Mistress of the Shadows passed through the door. "FireLord, there is someone here to see you."  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"Chesyul has returned. She wishes to speak with you, on a matter of great importance."  
  
Just them Chesyul rushed through the door. "FireLord, Fanelia is on the move! They have raised an army of guymelefs, all experienced warriors!" Chesyul said, her voice hoarse, and dry, from a hard ride. "They are closest to you, my lady, and I don't think you will be able to survive without more units."  
  
Dilandau frowned, and moved Shadow back to the castle. She would be need here now, it seemed…"  
  
A/N: Wow… what a interesting chapter… and you thought you would find out exactly what Dilandau was doing! Maybe going off to kill Galken himself? Or maybe to go and reburn Fanelia? Or there is that he wanted to resurrect the Dragon Slayers… Well, too bad that Chesyul interrupted them just then… Oh, well… K, well thanks for all your reviews… JA!!! 


	20. Quest

A/N: Well, well, well… Zaibach in the midst of a civil war, Fanelia's about to attack, and Allen is taking Hitomi to the Royal House of Fanelia… lots of turmoil, huh? Well, anywayz, thank Galken for this chapter… she finally got around to reviewing… so this chapter is dedicated to her…  
  
Disclaimer: 5...4...3...2...1... GO!!! Pablo/Cecil is racing down the track, his car is about to go past the deed… If he wins this race, he owns Escaflowne!!! Oh, no… It seems his car has run of gas…  
  
Chapter 20: Quest  
  
Dilandau frowned, and moved Shadow back to the castle. She would be need here now, it seemed…  
  
Dilandau stood up. "I'm leaving." He announced.  
  
"What? You can't leave! A war is coming!" FireLord almost yelled.  
  
"Get BlackMage to get 7 guymelefs ready. One of them is to be an Alseides, and I want it ready by the time I get to Trimu. The others must be ready upon my return."  
  
"But…" FireLord started, but Dilandau was already out the door.  
  
Dilandau started talking to himself. "If they want to win this war, they'll need an elite group of fighters, ones loyal to Zaibach… Dragon Slayers…"   
  
Dilandau walked out of the tower, and even though he was only six, well at least in this body, decided that he would ride to Trimu. "You there, get me the fastest horse in the stables!" He ordered. Even though the servant was much older then Dilandau reborn, the command the voice carried, forced him to obey.  
  
Dilandau rode straight to BlackMage's castle…(I'm going to skimp on the details) took the Alseides, and flew of towards Bosh, again… He landed in the center of murk, in a swamp… "Douylt!" He shouted. The ground beneath the unit lowered him into an experimental science lab. Doinkirk's Monster Maker stood before him.   
  
Dilandau grinned. Six eggs would hatch, and those six eggs would be the rising of the six Dragonslayers, reborn…Dallet, Viole, Chesta, Sheep Boy… all of them… then they would all pay… especially Fanelia…  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know that chap has to be my shortest one… but it is there to raise certain hopes for FireLord… Dallet's return… K, hope you enjoyed… JA!!! 


	21. Reborn?

A/N: Hello everyone… I would like to apologize to all of you who reviewed… If you didn't read my bio, then you don't know that my hacker brother hacked onto my name and then demanded reviews, because some of you were sure to get angry at me. Some of you did. I didn't really want to ask for those reviews, but I thank you all for them. In fact, this chapter is dedicated to all of those who reviewed more then 16 times, especially Chiruichi and FireLord/ who was CrimsonFire, but is now Fuzzy Wombat, why she did this, I don't know, but it probably has to do with the reviews… (By the way, after my mom found out, my brother was grounded for two weeks, and lost his time on the computer, so now I have time to write more chapters! YAY!!! K, well, I know a lot of you really want to read this chapter, so I'm going to stop my extremely long Author's note, and get on with the story…  
  
Disclaimer: YAY!!! I have the deed!!! *Does little jig* Leprechauns are dancing with him… What? Leprechauns? Hey, you took my deed!!! No! It can't be part of your pot of gold! Wakes up. Man, I was so sure I had it. *Snaps* And it was all a dream… well hopefully dreams can come true…  
  
Chapter 21: Reborn?  
  
Dilandau had reprogrammed the Monster Maker, so the eggs may hatch better, and so they would each have a different spirit of one of his previous Dragon Slayers. Oh, he just couldn't wait… Just as he was about to pull out his flamethrower and burn down the Monster Maker; there was very little to burn in that swamp except for the MM itself; six eggs plopped out, and rolled down into the six egg holders. He could easily guess which egg would produce which slayer… this was the perfect time to kill of Viole… Revenge for serving him water! Water!! How dare he! But no, he told himself, I will return all six, or not at all…  
  
Marlon was currently learning how to walk within the guymelef. He was glad BlackMage was in another guymelef nearby, shouting encouragement. BlackMage had faith in him, he thought, so I can do it.  
  
Dilandau stared at each egg respectively. The first one was that of Guimel, which was obvious because it looked puffy white, even though it was obviously hard. Dilandau believed that one, and the one next to it, which was Dallet's (He could tell for two reasons: One, it seemed to have a picture of FireLord floating on the egg surface, and it was the color of his hair, which to FireLord may be described as, a delicious brown, one worth eating, a chocolaty brown that would melt in your hand… Sadly, it may take a few more hours for the others to hatch, which may take too long, especially if Chesyul was right, and the Fanelians were going to burn, I mean attack.   
  
Dilandau looked over to his flamethrower. Eggs need heat, Dilandau thought, heat so they may harden… Fire makes heat… Oooh, Fire…Yes, I must burn the eggs! Dilandau turned the flamethrower to HIGH HEAT, and started to char the egg of Miguel…   
  
After trying repeatedly to get the eggs to burn, he gave up. The eggs seemed to reflect the health of those inside, and he couldn't burn them until he destroyed the shell. Dilandau looked around. He needed more fuel for his flamethrower. Hmmm. Eggs have yolks. Yolks may work as fuel. Dilandau ran back over to Miguel's egg, and started bashing it with the flamethrower.  
  
"We must act now, FireLord! The Fanelians are on the move! I saw them as I rode off towards you!" Chesyul pleaded.  
  
"We Will wait until Dilandau returns. Until then, warn the people. Make them prepared. Mistress of the Shadows, go and do as Dilandau contemplated. Go and poison Galken. We have enough problems on our hands without her attacking as well."  
  
Guimel and Dallet's eggs started to rumble. A crack was seen upon the top of Guimel's. Dilandau bashed Miguel's egg one more time, and then stopped to watch.  
  
Over the next 18 minutes, the eggs cracked, though did not split. Finally the fell apart simultaneously. (This is my favorite part, which I'm about to say.) What popped out was not children but little furry wombats!!! Wombats the respective colors of their previous life's hair! Dilandau had the notion to burn their fur off and try again. I mean how in the world would they fight in guymelefs?  
  
Even though he was a wombat, Guimel answered like we all knew he would anyway. "BAAA."  
  
Dallet growled, which sounded very cute, and tried to steal the flamethrower from Dilandau so he could bash Guimel on the head.   
  
Dilandau just shook his head.  
  
A/N: Hehehehee…. I did that bit with the fuzzy wombats for CrimsonFire/FuzzyWombat. So the new dragonslayers, at least so far, are wombats… Well, CrimsonFire/FuzzyWombat, you now have to post your next chapter, because Dallet Reborn is now in the story, alive and well… Until later… JA!!! 


	22. Clash

A/N: I'm sure you were all shocked by the making of Dragon Slayers into wombats, but, you see, I did it for 'FuzzyWombat'. Now that FuzzyWombat has returned to being CrimsonFire, so shall the Dragon Slayers return to human form, but should CrimsonFire changer her name again, so shall the Dragon Slayers. K, now that I've explained that, I dedicate this chapter to all those fan-girls who adore any one particular Dragon Slayer. Also, I've made a really long disclaimer, at least compared to my usual ones, so I hope no one is inconvenienced by that.  
  
Disclaimer: (James Bond music playing) A shadow creeps along the back wall of the Escaflowne owner's home. (Insert Daaa-duuuuhhhhh here) The shadow turns the corner, and sees a window. Looking cautiously around, the burglar looks for enemies. Seeing no opponents to his goal, retrieve the deed to Escaflowne, the burglar, hired by me, Pablo/Cecil, to do so, he slowly opens the window. The shadow peeks his head inside. No one is up and awake. Good, the coast is clear. (James Bond music is still playing.) The thief slowly pushes his legs through the window, and finds himself inside, staring into the eyes of a huge mountain lion, obviously trained to kill such intruders. Escaflowne deed is not retrieved, as the burglar runs for his life.  
  
Chapter 22: Clash  
  
Dilandau was ecstatic; this would make it easier to transfer them. You see, he had planned it that way. He would carry the fuzzy furry wombats to those very much like the Dragon Slayers were in real life, and make the child eat the wombat, thus effective transferring say Dallet's spirit, to that of a little 5 year old.   
  
The other eggs finished hatching.   
  
"Come, Dragon Slayers, we have work to do." Dilandau said. He smiled and strolled to his guymelef. He picked them up with one of the hands, and flew into the sky, on a mission to return the Dragon Slayers to true human form.  
  
Chiruichi decided it was time to report in to Galken in person. She needed first hand information, not things passed on by a messenger. As she was stalking into the stables, she almost ran into a guymelef leg. She took a step back, and looked up.  
  
"Hey, servant!" The obvious voice of Lord Marlon rang through her ears. Her eyes twitched.   
  
"Get out of my way!" She screamed at him. When he did not do so immediately, Chiruichi used her full strength and ripped off a full metal plate from the unit's leg. "Now move, boy!"  
  
Chiruichi felt someone looking behind her. It was a tall, black unit. BlackMage's guymelef had seen her rip off the metal sheet. Chiruichi gulped.   
  
"Chiruichi, you fool! I had given you one last chance, and this is what you do." BlackMage sounded very 'I-know-who-you-are-and-who-you-work-for-but-I-forgave-you-but-now-you-messed-up-and-your-life-is-over. Chiruichi bit her lip. "I knew you worked for Galken, Chiruichi, but I needed a spy on Galken, and one who is a spy, often reveals information accidentally, if they don't know that their position's revealed. I have gotten equal, if not more, information then Galken has gotten, from You, but I will not tolerate you to attack Lord Marlon. He is extremely valuable, and I will not have him assaulted!"   
  
Chiruichi crinched.   
  
"You there, take her to the lowest dungeon pit!" Lord Marlon ordered.   
  
Chiruichi walked slowly with the two guards to her cell, deep below where even the smallest glimmer of sunshine would reach her. All the time while she was walking, she wondered why Lord Marlon was so important. I mean, if she had killed him, BlackMage could have certainly found another peasant who looked and acted like Marlon, certainly. But then, why? Why is he so important? She was angry with herself. She had never gotten to report this information to her superior. She had to escape! How, though?  
BlackMage came to see her the next day. "Chiruichi, we're taking you to the torture chamber. We are going to find out if you have anymore secrets that we may want to know, and if you don't give it to us straight away, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Rack."  
  
A/N: I'm sorry I'm doing this to you Chiruichi, but it must be done. A spy always gets caught, and that's what the secret meaning was behind my disclaimer. Also, the wombats will probably become human again in the next chapter. K, well, that's the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it immensely… JA!!! 


	23. The Return of a Slayer

A/N: Yet another one of my amazing chapters is here for you! I'm finally, yes finally, going to get at least on of those fuzzy, furry wombats back into human selves. *Hears applause* Why, Thank you! N E Wayz, I herebyez dedicates this here chapter to… (Insert suspense here)…The Nacho Nacho Man! No, just kidding… I'm dedicating this chapter to Navi… no particular reason… I just felt that he's the most like the Nacho Man…  
  
Disclaimer: Pablo is the evil super villain, Pablo I-gotta-steal-that-Deed-of-Escaflowne-Man, Pablo Man for short. Nothing will stop him this time! Pablo Man locked up all the super good guys with author powers. *Shocked aren't you?* As he swoops down upon where the deed of Escaflowne is, he finds little bunnies blocking his path! "Let go of the Easter Bunny!" *But, he's so chocolaty! And he lays those Cadbury Eggs!* "Let the Easter Bunny go! Or we'll eat the deed to Escaflowne!" The stupid bunny does indeed hold the deed, in its mouth no less. *Grumbling our evil villain gives up the stinking Easter Bunny, who kicks him far into his evil lair… now the stinky bunny protects the deed, and Pablo Man must wait another day…  
  
Chapter Twenty Three: Return of a Slayer  
  
Where we left off…BlackMage came to see her the next day. "Chiruichi, we're taking you to the torture chamber. We are going to find out if you have anymore secrets that we may want to know, and if you don't give it to us straight away, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Rack."  
  
Dilandau was not enjoying watching his slayers waddle like little teddy bears through the abysmal swamp. They looked so darn cute, and he was supposed to be the cute one… Later, he thought, I'm gonna burn this entire stinking, and it did stink, swamp to the ground… even if swamp water doesn't burn… I'll find a way… BURN!!! BURN!!! BURN!!!!  
  
Guimel, the wombat had gotten lost. He had fell behind earlier, when he tripped over a stick, and now he was trying to follow this little light out of the swamp. What was it Dilandau had said it was? Don't follow the will-o-wisp? Oh! Will-o-wisp! What a pretty light. Suddenly he stopped following the light, and walked to his right. Guimel had heard a bleating noise, and Guimel could not resist the sheep. Sheep. Sheep! SHEEP!!! (Thought the same way Dilandau thinks of BURN, BURN, BURN!!!)  
  
Guimel reached a large flock of sheep. Guimel's eyes (as wombats) seemed to glitter with love for all those sheep. A little shepherd boy, about 5, picked the wombat up. "What are you?" Guimel turned the wombat head and looked at the boy. He had big puffy lamb hair! Guimel's spirit drifted out of the body of the wombat and into the boy…  
  
Guimel, the shepherd, didn't exactly know what to do with the little wombat he was holding. He finally decided to set it with the baby sheep… you never know, he thought, it may turn into a sheep when it grows up.   
  
Guimel had a hard time leaving the fields, because he had to hug every sheep on the way back into the swamp, he didn't want the will-o-wisp to get lost without him…  
  
"Now what else do you know?" The torturer grinned.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chiruichi screamed as the torturer pulled the rack again.  
  
"TELL ME!!!"  
  
"I'll talk, I'll talk!" She nearly cried out. "What is it you want to know?"  
  
"Everything you know about Galken, or relating to Galken. All prisoners that come down here are from Galken. BlackMage spends a lot of time scouring the countryside for Galken's spies. Then he brings them here, and I drag the information out. There's another dungeon for other type prisoners…" The torturer drolled on. "NOW SPEAK!"  
  
Chiruichi screamed again.  
  
A/N: Isn't that painful… I'm really sorry, Chirui, but now that you're a traitor, you have to pay the consequences… it's not my rule… Its in this book: Rules for being a Traitor. #75: You will pay.  
See? Anywayz, I'm sure some of you are all disappointed that I didn't get another slayer instead… CrimsonFire would have surely preferred Dallet… but it just turned out that way… N E Wayz, until the next chapter. JA!!! 


	24. Little Girl

A/N: I know you've all been waiting for this chapter, well, at least I think so. I dedicate this chapter to all the fans of fire, and especially to CrimsonFire, who has been begging me for this particular happening to occur. Hmmm, Fans of Fire, has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? N E Wayz, on with the chap.   
  
Disclaimer: A weary Pablo/Cecil drags himself to his front doorstep with his hands. Clutched inside one hand is the deed to Escaflowne. He pushes a smile upon his face. The door opens, seemingly welcoming him home. He gives a sigh of relief; he hadn't figured out how he was going to get inside. Suddenly, CrimsonFire rushes out of his own home and takes the deed. "Yoinck." She says. Lights burst overhead. It's the owners of Escaflowne's helicopter. "HAND OVER THE DEED, CRIMSONFIRE, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A DATE WITH DALLET!" They yell down to her. CrimsonFire, drooling at the very prospect, hands over the deed. "THANK YOU!" The owners reply. Pablo/Cecil whimpers. He had gone to so much trouble to get it, and now it was lost, yet again.  
  
Chapter 24: Little Girl  
  
Where we last left the Dragonslayers… Guimel had a hard time leaving the fields, because he had to hug every sheep on the way back into the swamp, he didn't want the will-o-wisp to get lost without him…(Yes, I do know That w-o-w can not get lost, but Guimel does NOT know that…)  
  
And the rest of the Dragonslayers…Dilandau was not enjoying watching his slayers waddle like little teddy bears through the abysmal swamp. They looked so darn cute, and he was supposed to be the cute one… (By the way, I'd like to clarify this… What is happening is that earlier, Dilandau's unit had gotten stuck in some muck, and even with the little wombats helping him pull, he could not save it, which included the new state of the art Flamethrower. Now he was stuck watching these cute rodents toddle through goo…)  
  
"Ok, that's it!" Dilandau yelled at the wombats, promptly making Viole fall over. "Now let's get moving or I'll burn all of you! Even without my flamethrower! BURN!!! BURN!!! BURN!!!"  
  
Author/Pablo/Cecil is about to intervene…  
  
"YOU BACK OFF TOO!!! JUST BACK OFF, BACK OFF!!!" Dilandau yells, as he pulls out a flamethrower and swishes it around in the air.   
  
Author/Pablo/Cecil cringes back, remembering what happened to the deed in the earlier chapter.  
  
Dilandau ticks head. "That's better. Oh, NO!!! Another Slayer got lost! First Guimel, and now Dallet! Losing Guimel was not too big a loss, him always begging me not to burn the sheep in every town we pass, but Dallet, that's an entirely different matter!   
  
As soon as our ever wanting-to-burn-things pyro started to yell at everyone, Dallet decided that it may be best to find his own better body, before Dilandau decided that wombats might look better with burnt fur. Our little wombat, who seemed to be holding a picture of FireLord in one paw, turned to his right. Within 30 seconds, or 67 paws (it's the wombat way of measuring distance…) Dallet-wombat exited the murky swamp. (Dallet was intend on finding FireLord, and he seemed to have this innate sense of the direction he needed to go to find her…)   
  
"Look mommy! It's a dog!" A little girl said, yanking her mother's arm. She let go, ran over to the wombat, and picked him up. "It's so cute!" (Yeah, yeah, CrimsonFire, I know you would say the exact same thing…) "May I keep it?"  
  
Meanwhile Dallet was thinking the following order: "A dog? A dog!? How dare she think I'm a dog! Then he thought: "I have a bad feeling where these questions and sentences are leading… Uh-oh…  
  
That was his last thought before his air was cut off from being squeezed too much by the little girl. (You do that a lot, don't you, CrimsonFire?) "Let's take it home!" The girl begged her mom. The mother, having had a hard day, agreed.   
  
"Yeah, your brother might like this as a birthday present." The mother said, ungripping the girl's hands around Dallet's throat, so he could breathe.   
  
"AIR!!!" Dallet was so happy to be able to breathe again… "Where are we going?"  
  
The little girl just held him like a baby as they went to the little girl's home…  
  
A/N: There you go, Chapter 24... So close, eh, CrimsonFire… I'm sure you were sure that Dallet was returning in this chapter… Maybe the next one… Maybe… Hey, CrimsonFire, I'm also certain that you were imagining you as the little girl… Probably, I'm right… Well, hope you can wait for chapter 25... JA! 


	25. Dallet’s return: CrimsonFire stop scream...

A/N: I would like to apologize for the extremely long delay for the time it took me to write Chapter 24, and the chapter, Chapter 25! So, in conclusion to this Author's Note, I would like to dedicate this chapter to all those readers who checked on this story to see if I had posted at least once a week. Thank you… On with the chapter…  
  
Disclaimer: Dallet smiles. Well, sort of… Pablo/Cecil has spent the last few weeks making his Dallet costume, and now was the time to use it… He walked through the streets of Japan, dressed as the anime Dragon slayer. People bowed respectfully to one of their heroes… (CrimsonFire, I hope you realize I'm writing this disclaimer this way, so you won't behead me, and burn me to ashes because of the long postponement…) Dallet/Pablo/Cecil approached the gargantuan building, which, deep inside, held the deed to Escaflowne. 'Dallet' smiled again. He strolled up to the glass doors, with Esca-emblems on them, only to find guards. One of them seemed to be chewing on moldy cheese (Huh?), so Pablo/Cecil didn't think that one would be a problem, but Pablo/Cecil cringed in fear as he discovered the identity of the other guard: CrimsonFire. Pablo/Cecil then made an extremely fatal mistake: he decided that his disguise was so good, that he could fool CrimsonFire into believing that he-Pablo/Cecil, was the one and only Dallet. (Sorry, CrimsonFire, I'll never, ever make that mistake again!!!) In conclusion, Pablo/Cecil spent the next 2 months in the hospital recovering from the CrimsonFire-inflicted injuries…  
  
Chapter 25: Dallet's return: CrimsonFire, stopping screaming for joy, I can hear you in Alabama!  
  
The mother said, ungripping the girl's hands around Dallet's throat, so he could breathe.   
  
"AIR!!!" Dallet was so happy to be able to breathe again… "Where are we going?"  
  
The little girl just held him like a baby as they went to the little girl's home…  
  
By this time, the wombat, Dallet, had fully recovered from his near death experience. Dallet was doing everything he could to claw his way out of the girl's arms. The girl promptly stopped this by squeezing him tightly, reminding him of how it felt to be choked. The attacks quickly diminished.   
  
As they, the mother, the daughter, and the poor, cold, hungry Dallet, advanced towards a medium sized hut, the girl dropped the little wombat, and ran towards the house. Dallet looked up in misery from the mud he had been dropped into. The mother shook her head and picked up the muddy wombat.   
  
She took him inside. Her daughter was playing on the floor with some Tonka-like trucks. (Sorry, just had to put that in somewhere…) The mother walked past her and into a bedroom. It was quite plain, but on the back wall, in the center, was a bed, with a little boy asleep inside the sheets. The mother smiled, and placed Dallet by him, then quietly exited.   
  
Though dripping mud, Dallet's mind/soul felt drawn into the boy; a boy with swavy chocolate hair, much like the color of the wombat-Dallet's fur. Dallet's soul/mind left the wombat and merged into the child. The now regular wombat shook himself, then climbed out the window.  
  
The now human Dallet decided to do the same.  
  
Galken was getting impatient. She walked back and forth across the ramp.  
  
Soldiers and mechanics below that ramp, were building a weapon, for it could be nothing else. Flamethrowers decorated its sides, and the main metal of its construction was the same of that of a crima-claw. What ever Galken was building, it would almost be able to total change its entire shape.  
  
FireLord too was getting impatient. Time was slowly passing, and the Fanelian guymelefs were coming ever closer. Though BlackMage had sent a force of his own, all he could spare, to help protect her fortress, chances were that it would only hold as long as the force of guymelefs Fanelia had used against Zaibach when it had attacked them, so long ago…   
  
"YEAH, MOLDY CHEESE!!!" A contented Chesyul said, clutching her reward for warning FireLord of the approaching horde. "CHEESE, MOLDY CHEESE!!!" She sang. "Give me a M, Give me and O, Give me a L, D and Y! MOLDY CHEESE!!!"   
  
A/N: Yes, that last bit was a bit useless, but I just thought that it would be a bit humorous. Well, now that's Dallet is back, maybe I can take another month break? (CrimsonFire: NO!!!) Oh, fine… 2 Weeks? Kidding… Well, I'll try and get another chapter out soon… but it is getting really hard to write new disclaimers! It took we a week to think up the disclaimer for this chapter! Yeah, its a lot harder then you think… K, well, I enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you did as well… JA!!!! 


	26. Siege

A/N: HELLOOOO EVERYBODY!!!! Pablo has returned to deliver a chapter unto you... This chapter is dedicated to me, which shall be explained in my disclaimer below...  
  
Disclaimer: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PABLO!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CECIL!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PABLO/CECIL, WE HOPE YOU POST SOON!!!! Huh? Oh, that's right, the disclaimer... Blah, blah, blah, Pablo/Cecil receives the deed to Escaflowne as a birthday present from Chezzy (which she surely stole), isn't that nice? She stole the deed just for me! (Probably because I gave her that moldy cheese in the last chapter....(Mumbled)) Huh? Where'd it go?!?! "The deed was taken by those guys!" CrimsonFire shouts, pointing at Van and Hitomi, who are trying to make out behind a curtain... "GET 'EM" The guests shout together. Huh? Van and Hitomi question as they get tackled by 78.3 people (I have no idea where that .3 people came from... it's just there, okay?) while CrimsonFire walks off... laughing... What? She has the deed? My Gosh! She lied! COME BACK HERE!!! That's MY present!!! MINE!!! CrimsonFire quickly hands it to Dallet, who gives it to Dilandau...(Alright, now, as weird as this disclaimer may be, it actually has a point... which you shall see later...)  
  
  
CHAPTER 26: Siege  
  
"FireLord, the army from Fanelia approaches!" The Mistress of the Shadow calls from the window. "We're under siege!"  
  
"Alert the soldiers! Prepare the guymelefs! NOVEE, turn on Illusions 1, 12, 41, and 78.3!" FireLord orders.   
  
Chesyul seems to have got nuts... She has begun spinning around on the floor, screaming "MY CHEESE, MY MOLD, MY MOLDY CHEEEEESSSSEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" over and over... then chittering at those few stupid guards who are stupid enough to try and take it away from her.   
  
***  
  
"Units 1-70 will attack the West Wall in two hours; Fanelian legions will circle behind them here, and attack the East Wall while FireLord's troops are occupied with our guymelefs. Then, we shall break off these units and crush the East Wall." A general was explaining to Allen Schezar and Hitomi, while pointing to a map of the grounds. "As the East Wall is closest to the holding cells, we shall quickly be able to rescue Marlon from the wrath of FireLord."  
  
"What if my son isn't here?" Hitomi asked, on the brink of tears.  
  
"Then, when we capture this leader, we shall ransom IT ( This being said with disgust, as if FireLord is not even human...) to BlackMage, who is most likely to have him if FireLord does not."  
  
"What about Dilandau?" Allen Schezar questioned. "Surely you can not hope that pyromaniac to be reasonable. If BlackMage agrees, then Dilandau will just kill him, and we're still short a prince!"  
  
These words sent Hitomi into a rage of tears.   
  
"Sorry, my lady." Allen quickly apologized.  
  
***  
  
"BlackMage!" A soldier shouted up to his lord as he taught Marlon the basics of guymelef swordplay.  
  
"Yes?" BlackMage replied, pausing for a moment.  
  
"FireLord is under siege by Fanelian troops! What should we do?" The soldier queried.  
  
"My Lord Marlon, what would you suggest?"  
  
"Sire, should we listen to this chi..." The soldier never finished, for BlackMage fired his Crimaclaw at him.   
  
"This is NOT a child; he is a lord prince, due proper courtesy!" BlackMage raged. Courtiers around the courtyard cowered in fear as he yelled. BlackMage began again. "Now, Lord Marlon, what should we do with these troops, who are disobeying your mighty reign, by attacking its peaceful neighbors?"  
  
Marlon spoke with out a pause. "Kill them."  
  
"Excellent..." BlackMage said. "Excellent."  
  
A/N: Ooh, this is getting good... I am so pleased with myself! I think this may be one of the most excellent chapters I have written in a quite a while! I meant to do something else... but I guess that'll have to be saved for Chapter 27... Oh, well... I hope you enjoyed Chapter 26: Siege, and I hope you enjoy the next one too... JA!!! 


	27. The Return of the other Dragon Slayers

A/N: Now, in the previous chapter, I said that the disclaimer had an importance for this chapter, so if you like skipping over A/N's and disclaimers, you may as well go back and read them; you never no when they may be important... Alright well, let's dedicate this chapter to all those people who have read all the disclaimers prior to reading this A/N. Well, uhh, on with the chapter...  
  
Disclaimer: Pablo/Cecil is wearing an obviously fake French painter's outfit. Japanese people gape as he walks down the street toward the Escaflowne Building, which contains the deed. Pablo shutters as he remembers what a certain anonymous guard did to him. He truly hopes this disguise won't end up in a blunder like that again! (If you still haven't read the disclaimers, but have decided to read this one, you might as well go back and find out what I'm talking about!) Luckily the 'anonymous' guard doesn't seem to be on guard duty currently. These guards ask what he is doing, and where he is going. This is where it all goes wrong. Pablo seems to have forgotten what to say! Pablo, having to say something, says the same thing he had said to the 'anonymous' guard before. "Hi, I'm Dallet! I should be here!" After exchanging glances, the guards take Pablo to where he seems to be needed, the Japanese Anime-freak Insane Asylum... where he proceeded to write this disclaimer, and chapter...  
  
Chapter 27: The return of the other Dragon Slayers...  
  
"Now, Lord Marlon, what should we do with these troops, who are disobeying your mighty reign, by attacking its peaceful neighbors?"  
  
Marlon spoke with out a pause. "Kill them."  
  
"Excellent..." BlackMage said. "Excellent."  
  
Dilandau Albatou decides that he is quite tired off marching through the most dismal of swamps, when he could be burning whole villages down... So many days wasted! He usually did try to burn at least 4 good sized villages a week! So, with this loss in mind, our obsessive pyro-maniac pulled out his most powerful weapon, other then the new deluxe Flamethrower 7800, from Bandai, the deed to Escaflowne!  
  
(Now, if you still haven't read the disclaimers from the previous chapter, I am seriously disappointed in you! That disclaimer, in an extremely farfetched way, explains how he had gotten that deed! So if you still don't want to read it, the following chapter may make little sense.)  
  
Dilandau was smiling. When he had been invited to the author's birthday party last week, his trustworthy Dragon Slayer, Dallet, was able to retrieve this deed before the author could even touch it.... Now for those of you who are wondering, "Why is this deed so important?" you shall soon find out.  
  
Dilandau shouted to the sky. (This loud noise did force the Dragon Slayer Wombats to hide as their ears are very sensitive...)   
  
"Author! Behold! I Have The Deed To Escaflowne!"  
  
"GIMME!!!!!"  
  
"I will exchange it for the return of my warriors to human form!"  
  
Immediately the deed vanished from the general's tight, and childish, grip. Lots of flashes and loud noises surrounded where the wombats had hidden themselves. After the obviously useless and unneeded effects had ended, the four concealed wombats were show to be changed into 5-year old children. (Hopefully, I'll find a reason for all of them to be children in the future... Maybe so FireLord can tuck them all in at night... hehehe...)  
  
"Finally!" Dilandau and Pablo shout; Dilandau for having his Slayers back, and Pablo for finally having the deed to Escaflowne in his hands for more then 5 seconds.  
  
"Come Slayers, let's get out of here!" Dilandau orders, beginning the march once again. "We have some Fanelians to kill..."  
  
A/N: YAY!!!! I finally had the deed to Escaflowne!!! Sadly, I seem to have misplaced it! So until I find it, I will be unable to claim the rights I truly wish I had... Alright, alright.... I know you're all disappointed in how I returned those final Slayers to their form, but I wanted to hurry up and get our Pyro-people (Dilandau and FireLord) into action... I hope you enjoyed.... Ja! 


	28. Dowsing

A/N: HAHAHAHAHA!!! Today has to be one of the best days ever! Not only to I have the deed now, at least up until the upcoming disclaimer, BUT I also had the most awesome idea when reading the reviews of Chichirui and Chez! The idea struck me like a bolt of lightning! *Well, almost, it sorta missed me by a few inches, but it started a really cool fire ^-^* Therefore, I will dedicate this chapter to those two: Chez and Chichirui!  
  
Disclaimer: Pablo/Cecil sits in a dark corner staring out with bloodshot eyes, clutching the deed to Escaflowne. "Mine, mine, mine!" he repeats over and over, with the occasional "hehehe" every once and a while. Suddenly the door slams open, and a shadow stands at the entrance. "Whose there?" Pablo asks. Lightning strikes close by, and the light shows Death! (Duhh, duh, duhhhhhhh.) "I've come for you!" It groans through blackened lips. "For your constant fear of losing the deed has prevented you from eating, and now you have starved! Prepare to be brought to judgment!" "NOOOOO!!! I JUST GOT THE DEED!!!!" Pablo yells, in slow motion. "Deed? What deed?" Death asks. "The deed to Escaflowne! And its MINE!!!" Death hovers closer. "Give it over, and I'll spare you, for now..." Pablo whimpers, looking from the deed to himself. Which one? Before he can decide Death swipes the deed, and runs to the door! There Death removes it hood, and shows itself to be an Escaflowne employee. "Ha, now we have recovered our deed!" Pablo, weakened as he is by multiple heart-attacks (hey, who wouldn't be scared of death?) and close to starvation is unable to stop this 'thief'. He slowly crawls over to his laptop and proceeds to write his chapter.  
  
Chapter 28: Dowsing.  
  
"Now, Lord Marlon, what should we do with these troops, who are disobeying your mighty reign, by attacking its peaceful neighbors?"  
  
Marlon spoke with out a pause. "Kill them."  
  
"Excellent..." BlackMage said. "Excellent."  
  
Marlon grinned and clutched something in his hand as he was helped out of his guymelef.  
  
"What's that?" BlackMage asked.  
  
"Oh, this. This is what brought mommy and me to this place." Marlon said, revealing a red-pink pendant.  
  
"Really?" BlackMage said with a gleam in his eye. "Do your mother tell you what it does?"  
  
"Yeah! She once said that when she was on this other place, it was sorta like here, she was able to tell the future for this king guy, who she said was my dad... she started crying then." Marlon finished.  
  
"Can you use it?" BlackMage questioned, eagerly.  
  
"I think so." He replied.  
  
"You, there. Send Chesyul to command the fleet, and bring it to the bay at Zail's northern border! And you! Prepare 50 legions for combat, and half our guymelefs as well. Fanelia is about to fall... again. And Lord Marlon is going to tell us how to beat them!" BlackMage grinned an evil smile. Kidnapping that little Draconian brat had more uses then he thought.  
  
"BlackMage?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Marlon?"  
  
"Why not send some guymelefs back to Earth, too? I think I could make a light thing to take them there..."  
  
"Lord Marlon, it shall be so." BlackMage turned to a passing sergeant. "Prepare a further 40 guymelefs! And 20 legions! It is time to take the Mystic Moon!"  
  
BlackMage could barely contain his glee. Fanelia would easily fall with its troops in Zail. And by sending his fleet to back up FireLord, Zail would be freed from Fanelian attacks. Once the Mystic Moon was conquered, he and FireLord could each command not just a country, but an entire planet each! And, if he played it right, he wouldn't have to kill the child either. BlackMage could see his plans taking shape...  
  
A/N: This is getting good! I feel this must be one of my more brilliant chapters... Though I feel disappointed in myself for not mentioning so little about FireLord and Galken... I'll fix that a bit in the next chapter... Thanks to everyone for all those reviews! JA!!! 


	29. Checking In

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Yeah, I know its a bit early, but I decided to give you this early. This chapter is a gift for you... I would also like to apologize for my chapters coming out so few and far between. You, the reader, and insane devotee to this story, can only hope I succeed in making this chapter longer than is normal. Now let's get on with it!!!  
  
Disclaimer: "All Right, Santa! I know you have the deed, don't you?" Pablo/Cecil said, while holding a Civil War Rifle stolen from the Santa Claus Memorial Museum. Earlier, during a tour of Santa's Workshop, Pablo/Cecil had stolen the Civil War Rifle, and decided that the best course of action would be to force Old Nick into giving him the Deed to Escaflowne to him for a Christmas present, even though we both know that he wasn't a very good boy this year... "Just put down the gun, son.... And I'll change my mind about.... about putting a piece of coal in your stocking!" Pablo/Cecil ignored this. "Alright, Nicky, ole boy," He said. He then shot a blast into the roof. "Listen up, fat chunks, give me the deed or the next one goes into a reindeer!" He spoke to 'fat chunks' as he reloaded. "And you, Mrs. Fat Chunks, get me some cookies and milk! NOW!!!" Mrs. Claus scuttled out of the workshop quickly, and quickly brought back a large box of..... ICE CREAM!!! No, just kidding, cookies... but that would have been interesting, now back to my memory... "Thank you." He said. "Now, Mr. Fat Chunks, I want da teed..." Pablo/Cecil started, while stuffing one of the cookies into his mouf, I mean mouth. He swallowed. "Now, give it to me!" With that, Pablo/Cecil fell on the floor. It seems that somehow, Mrs. Clause had put some sleeping pills into to the batter instead of chocolate chips, just for some situation such as this... which would also have explained the three year old expiration date on the box... Pablo/Cecil was then sent to the workshop to work off the damages he made to the roof... Pablo/Cecil did try and make a deed during that time, but was caught and had to continue his labor for an extra 3 days..... And that's why your present broke apart in the wrapping, okay! I made that present, so stop complaining!!!!  
  
Chapter 29: Checking in  
  
BlackMage could barely contain his glee. Fanelia would easily fall with its troops in Zail. And by sending his fleet to back up FireLord, Zail would be freed from Fanelian attacks. Once the Mystic Moon was conquered, he and FireLord could each command not just a country, but an entire planet each! And, if he played it right, he wouldn't have to kill the child either. BlackMage could see his plans taking shape...  
  
Miles away in the lands of Zail, Fanelia had sent in their cavalry, waving idiotic banners, and waving stupid signs... Some of these signs included: "WE WILL WIN!" and "STOP ABORTION" which seemed not only to prove Fanelia idiocy, but allowed FireLord's archers and crossbowmen to kill many of the enemy.  
  
Returning back to BlackMage's fortress, 7 little children strolled up and into the castle. "We wanna see BlackMage right now!" they screamed at the guard. "Get'em now!" The guard laughed at them, and told them to run home to their mommies... (The guard had obviously just been installed.... Any other guard in BlackMage's retinue would have immediately recognized the fire in the eyes of the eldest one of the children, Dilandau Albatou.)  
  
After the guard recovered from Dilandau's slap (you must honor the Dragon-Slayers every time they're hit... They're not so weak as to become unconscious.), he discovered that the children had vanished.  
Dilandau, Dallet, Guimel, Viole, Chesta, Miguel, and Gatti, in that order, ,marched down the corridor in single file, straight to the Guymelef Hanger. After the guard there checked them in, (he recognized them) each warrior of the illustrious Zaibach hopped into a guymelef, and flew off to Zail, where the battle was, and where they would soon be...  
  
In the pavilion where Allen, Hitomi, and the Fanelian generals were talking....  
  
"We didn't to do well on the whole today, sirs, and madam." One man reported. "They took down 500 men for the one we took down... And we're not even sure that's our doing... he might have been drunk, and that would have explained his falling from the ramparts...."  
  
"Let me get this straight... We lost five HUNDRED men, and we only killed ONE, ONE, and it was by accident!?!?! WHAT IDIOTS ARE YOU!!!!" At this point Allen would have been shouting out the most vile curses had it not been for the presence of a lady. (Well only a lady in Allen's book... Even the Fanelian Generals didn't agree with him on that!)   
  
"YOU INCOMPETENT MILITARY LOSERS!!! I'm taking over from now on! Allen will be my advisor, but all of you, GO HOME!!! Get a regular job, SOMETHING YOU'RE GOOD AT!!!" Hitomi ordered. "I may not have fought in any battles personally, but I saw Van..." she paused for a moment "but I shall certainly do better than you..." She turned to Allen. "Tell the troops we attack at dawn..."  
  
***  
  
BlackMage was so close to rage that the only thing that suppressed it was the fact that 'Lord' Marlon had decided that the best way to learn to rule was to follow BlackMage everywhere. Now when the gesture had started the day before, BlackMage had felt his power growing over the child, but now BlackMage wished he were not there so he could truly express his anger at the two guards through worse punishment than what Chiruichi had gone through. 'How could they!?! They knew! They KNEW that I wanted Marlon to learn how to work a guymelef with the best group of fighters! And what do they let those fighters do?! Get away!'   
  
Luckily for BlackMage, or unfortunately for the guards, Lord Marlon had taken on the mannerisms of BlackMage. "Have them executed." he ordered to the soldiers accompanying them, not that he understood the order. What he knew was that whenever BlackMage, his current hero, disliked someone he had them executed.   
  
BlackMage was delighted. With the poise Marlon had ordered them, he had demonstrated that he was completely under his control. Now if only he could get him to Zail... then Fanelia would fight with Trimu and Zail against the lands of Galken. Not even with all of her technology could he be defeated... How wrong he was...  
  
A/N: Yeah, I know... I really was going to make this a long chapter... but all the dramatic endings are at the short points! This will just have to keep you happy until I post again... Enjoy your Christmas holidays! Have a happy New Year, which you may find interesting is that in Vietnam, Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, is celebrated on January 31st... What that has to do with this is questionable... Whatever... JA!!! 


	30. Raging Battle

A/N: Because of my earlier preparation of future chapters, spurred on by reviews, I am able to have this chapter ready when usually you would have to wait months. I would like to dedicate this chapter to any and all who have reviewed all of my previous chapters. I would also like to thank all of you who have directly or indirectly helped me to have ideas. (Like CrimsonFire with her short change to Fuzzy Wombat, or my brother for the idea of disclaimers which are stories in themselves.) For those of you who are authors, I wish you the greatest luck in your writing abilities. Now on with the disclaimer...  
  
Disclaimer: Pablo/Cecil walked up to the Escaflowne complex in a suave brown detective coat. His previous plan, before he entered, was to say that he was checking up on security around the Deed to Escaflowne. But after entry, he discovered the horrors within... Someone else has stolen the deed before he got there! Well, that would explain why there were so many police cars outside, and why his favorite Chinese-food-cart wasn't outside the complex like usual... Two police officers approached him... "We need you to checka out thisa vid-yo, Detective... It recorded what happen..." Pablo/Cecil went upstairs, following the officers, into a control room, where multiple detectives were already at work watching the tape over and over, as if in disbelief... Pablo/Cecil squeezed between two of the other detectives and watched a screen. It looked like, like a wallaby? A wallaby?!?! With wings and... ONE talon? Just one?!?! "Are you sure nothing is wrong with this tape?" Pablo/Cecil asked. "Sure, nothing wrong with tape." One of them replies... At this moment, on the tape, the wallaby goes up to one of the walls and scribbles 'WALLABEE' on the wall. Then, he flew out the building with the deed in its clutches... Pablo/Cecil left the room, and exited the building. After stopping shortly at his home, Pablo/Cecil returned to the hunt of the deed, this time in a Safari Warden's outfit. (Hey, if I can almost steal the deed, than I'm pretty sure a Game Warden isn't going to miss his outfit, plus I did make a good replica of it out of cardboard and tape... And I did leave it in his closet... no chance he would notice, right?) "I'm coming to get you, wallaby," he said to no one as he left the building. Behind him, Wallabee, as it prefers to be called, chuckled evilly as it chewed on the deed in its mouth...  
  
Chapter 30: Raging Battle  
  
"You, there. Send Chesyul to command the fleet, and bring it to the bay at Zail's northern border! And you! Prepare 50 legions for combat, and half our guymelefs as well. Fanelia is about to fall... again. And Lord Marlon is going to tell us how to beat them!" BlackMage grinned an evil smile. Kidnapping that little Draconian brat had more uses then he thought. (From Chapter 28, if you're wondering)  
  
****  
  
She turned to Allen. "Tell the troops we attack at dawn..."  
  
***  
  
Hitomi and Allen watched the battle the next morning as their troops rushed against the ramparts like a river against a dam. Few troops got upon the battlements, and those that did were quickly slaughtered. Before their attack, the odds had seemed in their favor, but as the battle progressed, ships from the south, bearing Trimu's seal, sailed in and dropped off more troops. Not only that halted their progress, but their guymelefs were being destroyed for just as the attack had begun, 7 guymelefs had landed, and it was soon realized that they contained the finest troops of Zaibach, and all of Gaea, the Dragon Slayers, and General Dilandau Albatou.   
  
***  
  
In the harbors of Fanelia's borders, a ship, also with Trimu's symbol upon it, landed. BlackMage rode out upon MyrkenStone, his guymelef. On one shoulder rode the prince of Fanelia, Marlon. "Lord Marlon, it is time for you to claim your birthright. I told you we would do so! But first you must kill a dragon. Do not worry, Lord Marlon!" BlackMage said to the boy. "You need not care when you are to be king! You must be strong, Lord Marlon! I am here in case trouble arises! And when this is finished, you can punish the soldiers who disobeyed you!"  
  
BlackMage did not seriously intend for the boy to battle the dragon. He had, in fact, a small contingent of warriors weakening a small dragon close by. By the time the boy came to kill the beast, it would practically be dead already.  
  
And it was so. The dragon slumped out of the forest, and Marlon barely hit it with a slap of his sword, and it went down. Marlon quickly did as he had been instructed, and cut out the dragon's energist. "Good hit, m'lord! On to the capital! And onto your crown!" BlackMage yelled. Soon, he thought, soon Fanelia's puppet king will be on the throne, and I shall be the puppeteer.  
  
Marlon looked in disbelief and soon a growth of pride erupted inside him. I've killed a dragon with one hit of my mighty sword, he contemplated, no wonder BlackMage thought me ready to rule Fanelia.   
  
The two of them both looked immensely happy, though if Marlon had known all of BlackMage's plans from beginning to end, Marlon would be doing all he could to get away from Fanelia and Gaea, including using death as an option for escape...  
  
A/N: So close!!! SO CLOSE!!! Can you stand the suspense? I can barely do so myself! Well, let's hope I post again soon! JA!!! 


	31. King of Fanelia

A/N: Hello, faithful readers! I'm sure that many of you are getting tired of short chapters, and too many of those, but hopefully this chapter will be long enough to fill your bellies of curiosity! I'm dedicating this chapter to ShadowKat, for reviewing all those many times so recently... I sort of have to wonder who, though, will give the 400th vote...  
  
A/N: Pablo/Cecil continues on his hunt for the 'Wallabee' in his 'borrowed' Safari Warden outfit, even if it does look weird while wandering the streets of Tokyo. Using his own home-crafted magnifying glass (meaning one that doesn't work), he believed that he had a trail. He soon discovered though that this trail was just a few smudges upon the glass. After leaving the city, Pablo/Cecil decides to explore the mountainous trails hoping that this might happen to relate to the Wallabee's habitat... Sadly, Pablo did not find the culprit (one who seems to be better at stealing the deed that myself, which in itself is the greatest insult... it would be like someone being better at burning things than Dilandau, it just isn't done! If you actually happen to be better, you keep quiet about your better-ness, because people don't like being beaten... With the Dilandau example, even if you were better, which is almost impossible, Dilandau would probably kill you... usually, you would think he wouldn't be able to get near you with that extra-ordinary talent of burning, but Dilandau is impossibly shifty, sly, sneaky, and deviant, and he'll get you... but I'm drifting away from the subject... and I intend to do so again in about 3 milliseconds...) except in the very last place he looked (of course, if he had found the villain earlier, even though I am a bit of a villain myself, I wouldn't have kept looking, and it still would have been the last place I looked) which was of course behind him as he returned to the Escaflowne Deed Center... The Wallabee, being almost as sly and shifty as Dilandau, had been following Pablo/Cecil around Japan, laughing behind Pablo's back, while chewing the Deed, which is itself difficult... about as difficult as chewing gum and eating Peanut Butter simultaneously without mixing the two... As our villainous hero-type turned, he discovered the heroic villain-type chewing upon the Deed and laughing, as I previous hinted at... Pablo/Cecil gaped in horror as he saw the smeared letters which used to say "THE DEED TO ESCAFLOWNE" but now had "HE D|D FLOW" (The | used to be the E's, but you know...) instead... Pablo almost cringed thinking of all the bite marks. At this moment the heroic villain-type plopped down upon the sloping road towards Tokyo, and stuck out his tongue, while chewing and laughing too. (That's like adding an ON blender to your mouth and still not mixing up the gum and Peanut Butter; by the way, don't try that, the only thing that would be keeping your tongue in one piece would be the gum!) At this time, a fortunate thing occurred. As you may have already guessed, the Wallabee was a criminal in 5 Continents, 87 Scientific Research Facilities in the US alone, and 2 Pounds, mainly for eating cats, and their hairballs... (Insert your own EwwWw! here.) It just so happened that at this time, one of the Dog-Catchers was passing this way towards his mountain villa (I still don't know how this particular Dog-Catcher afforded one) and remembered the enormous rewards for this villainous and heroic villain-hero-type. (That's the Wallabee) Now considering that the Dog Catcher happened to be flying in his helicopter (Don't ask) Pablo/Cecil decided now would be the best time to end this disclaimer for the actual beginning of the story and continue the disclaimer later...  
  
Chapter 31: King of Fanelia  
  
Marlon felt triumphant exaltation at his victory over the dragon. BlackMage saw another victory forthcoming... Whispering a silent order to the hidden soldiers, BlackMage started towards Marlon.  
  
"You are true king of Fanelia now, Your Highness, and soon it shall be proclaimed. But first, Your Highness, I suggest that we go the your capital, where the guymelef you truly deserve awaits you." BlackMage consulted. "The one called Escaflowne."  
  
BlackMage returned into MyrkenStone as 'the king of Fanelia' entered his own temporary one. On their way to the capital, BlackMage delved into his thoughts, going over the plan which made even BlackMage shudder at its ghastliness.  
  
FireLord, meanwhile, was taunting at the campgrounds of the pathetic fighters of Fanelia. On the first assault, usually the strongest, they had lost many a man, and FireLord hadn't even used any of the interesting weapons she held. FireLord's eyes glistened with the fires of conquest as she contemplated the end of Galken, whom her faithful Shadow was soon to be taking care of.  
  
She clutched into niches of the stone, on her quest to the top. The Shadow was within a few meters of Galken's personal chambers, when the whole castle began to move. Up. Within scant moments, it became clear why. Doinkirk had left another surprise, turning this castle into a fortress of the sky.  
  
Galken had found the interesting switch under her table. Usually unnoticeable, Galken had dropped her writing quill, and upon seeking it, found a small trap door, where under was a switch. With a flick of a wrist, the castle began to float, as Levi-Stones were turned on.  
  
Shadow grunted. If she had been but a few seconds faster in her climb, Galken never would have had the time to even drop the quill. Galken seemed to have an unusual amount of luck, she thought...  
  
The Dragonslayers flew in a V profile with Dilandau at point. To those looking overhead, it looked like a sign. Red at the point, purple to the sides. Dilandau had purposely left the Cloaks off to fly, and more importantly, to him, to draw attention to his return. As he passed over the major population areas, he shot a flame out, making an interesting Y, not that it mattered, except that the flames signified Dilandau... he was flying at FireLord's request, for after his arrival at her tower, the Fanelians had left to regroup. FireLord had reminded Dilandau that the people needed the reminder of the power of Zaibach, which would be better accomplished elsewhere. So rather than killing Fanelians at the border of her tower, Dilandau was presenting his return to the people in hopes of rallying them to battle... Dilandau had fire on his mind, so nothing else was, otherwise he would be more suspicious of why FireLord would send him away when victory was so close at hand.....  
  
A/N: Yes, I realize the actual story itself is short, but I think I more than made up for it with my disclaimer, for many reviews point out that sometimes the Disclaimer is better than the rest of the chapter! Prepare for the continuing epic with the next chapter... hopefully coming soon to a Fanfiction.Net near you... 


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